The Portland Trail Blazers lack star power, but their silver lining is an underrated and deep bench. Part of that has to do with GM Joe Cronin's strategy of stockpiling young talent in what is now the second year of the post-Damian Lillard rebuild. Zach Lowe highlighted the Blazers' depth on "The Lowe Post" podcast, saying, "There's real representative NBA talent almost up and down the full , like once you get down to 12 or 13 guys on this team."
The Blazers have established players who could potentially be on the move as early as this season. Jerami Grant, at 30 years old, is the oldest player on the Blazers' roster and still owed over $100 million. Deandre Ayton is the highest-paid Blazers player next season ($34 million). He may not fit into their plans, given his contract and the draft day steal of Donovan Clingan. And it remains to be seen if the Blazers view Anfernee Simons as part of their rebuilding core—that answer could depend on how Scoot Henderson does in his second season.
Blazers' expectations for 2024-25
They weren't desperate to move these players this summer after getting under the luxury tax from the Malcolm Brogdon-Deni Avdija deal. Cronin has wisely navigated their rebuild with patience, waiting to figure out how all the pieces mesh together before making a significant roster overhaul. He emphasized this in the Blazers Media Day, saying that the expectation for 2024-25 is to come away from the season with more clarity.
Year one of Portland's rebuild wasn't able to provide that due to a multitude of injuries. Now, with a healthy roster (with the exception of Robert Williams III, who suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to miss two weeks), the Blazers are in a great position to have more roster consistency, which will help them in terms of decision-making going forward.
Billups must prioritize player development
However, one thing that shouldn't get lost in this strategy is the overall goal: developing young players (and losing games for a better 2025 draft pick in the process).
It's no secret that head coach Chauncey Billups is eager to win now. Every coach is competitive and wants to win games, especially one on the hot seat entering the season. However, that conflicts with the Blazers' long-term vision of patiently rebuilding, as it appears they are still years away from competing for a playoff spot.
Billups handled questions about the contradiction well on Media Day, emphasizing that his goals are aligned with the rest of the Blazers' front office. But saying it and going out and doing it are two different things.
Billups must give the Blazers' up-and-coming players significant minutes to gain more experience and help them develop. If he doesn’t, Cronin will need to consider more drastic measures—whether that means parting ways with Billups or trading an established player to create more opportunities for their younger talent.