1 Mild, 1 Medium, 1 Hot take on the Portland Trail Blazers' 2024-25 season

Hot: Portland finishes with the worst record in the league

Last season, the Blazers finished with a 21-61 record. That was the worst in the Western Conference and tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the third-worst record in the association, ahead of only the Washington Wizards (15-67) and Detroit Pistons (14-68).

It seems likely that the Blazers will finish at the bottom of the West yet again. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies are much more competitive this season; San Antonio added veterans to accelerate their rebuild around Victor Wembanyama, and Memphis is much healthier. The only possibility is the Utah Jazz, who are taking their roster in a confusing direction but are trying to compete after signing Lauri Markkanen to a massive five-year, $238 deal contract renegotiation and extension to remain in Utah.

Besides the Blazers, all of the other teams that are trying to bottom out their rosters in hopes of landing a top draft pick in 2025 are in the East, including the Pistons, Wizards, Bulls (to a certain extent), and Nets, who strategically reacquired their own draft picks from the Rockets. Currently, the Blazers have a more talented roster than at least some of these teams.

However, Portland's starting lineup could look completely different at the end of the season. There is a realistic possibility that one of Grant, Simons, and Ayton will be traded. The Blazers already lack top-tier talent with no All-Star players on their roster but could move one of their few established players, if not multiple. If that's the case, there's little separating them from the teams at the bottom of the East, especially considering the growing pains of their young players.