1 Mild, 1 Medium, 1 Hot take on the Portland Trail Blazers' 2024-25 season
By Reese Kunz
The 2024-25 NBA season is less than two months away! The Portland Trail Blazers are an extremely young team with a demanding schedule in the loaded Western Conference and have a long season ahead. Still, it's a crucial season for the Blazers as they navigate their rebuild. Their outlook could be a lot different by the end of the season.
Mild: The Blazers have a new head coach by the 2025-26 season
Per The Athletic's John Hollinger, Chauncey Billups is one of three coaches on the hot seat heading into next season, along with Memphis Grizzlies' Taylor Jenkins and New Orleans Pelicans' Willie Green. It makes more sense for the Grizzlies and Pelicans' respective situations, as both are teams with playoff aspirations. Still, it seems unusual that a team like the Blazers, who are actively trying to lose games in an attempt to land a top 2025 draft pick, have a coach on the hot seat.
Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report suggests that the Blazers and Billups are heading towards a potential 'mutual parting' at the end of the season. Billups seems more keen on coaching a team that wants to be competitive immediately, which is understandable given how different this Blazers' roster was with Damian Lillard and company when Billups first came on board.
It remains to be seen who the potential head coaching candidates for the Blazers' next season are, but it seems likely that someone other than Billups will lead the way.