The summer of 2026 has seen the Portland Trail Blazers continue their push toward contention. After a four-year hiatus from the postseason, the team lost in five sets to the runner-up San Antonio Spurs, but that didn't stop them from going out and snagging former superstar Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Portland boasts many returning faces to fit around Morant, and they are seen as a dark horse in the West. These roster improvements, however, could inadvertently force a sharpshooting veteran out of town before all is said and done.
Three-point specialist Vit Krejci was acquired mid-season from the Atlanta Hawks and played a substantial role coming off the bench. As of now, though, ESPN has him outside of the Blazers' rotation looking in.
While the depth chart is far from official, it is a representation of how deep Portland has the potential to be with their current roster makeup. Krejci, who is set to make just over $3 million in 2026-27, has a non-zero chance of being an unnecessary piece of the overall payroll.
Portland may lose patience with sharpshooter for not doing his job
Last year, Krejci was brought in to help a team that had been struggling to effectively knock down threes. His presence didn't help, as he shot an abysmal 30.3 percent in 19 games with the team. It was a far cry from a player who has averaged over 40.0 percent from deep in multiple seasons as a professional, and it may have been all Portland needed to look elsewhere for shooting efficiency.
Damian Lillard's impending return doesn't help his case. Lillard, a career 37.1 percent three-point shooter, will likely gobble up many perimeter opportunities from other shooters.
Krejci's minutes will likely be dependent on the team's younger sharpshooters, like Toumani Camara and (surprisingly) Donovan Clingan.
The Blazers have put together a roster for 2026-27 that looks more potent than it has in over half a decade. Athletic guards combined with size and defensive prowess in the interior make for numerous threatening lineup combinations. Unfortunately for Vit Krejci, those potential combinations may not include his name.
With a portion of the summer still to go, it would not be all that surprising to see the veteran be moved to a new home. If it doesn't happen before October, then a mid-season move could be something to monitor as well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google