4 Players who shouldn't be back next season if Blazers want to accelerate rebuild

The Portland Trail Blazers lost 61 games this season. Injuries are partly to blame - key veterans like Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton missed a huge chunk of contests. Shaedon Sharpe got off to a hot start but missed 50 games. That led to an overreliance on young players like rookie point guard Scoot Henderson, who struggled with inconsistency and inefficiency.

Portland will head into the offseason with either the third- or fourth-best odds at landing the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Even with a weak class, that's a good start to improving the roster and moving the franchise rebuild forward next year. But more can always be done.

Some players on the Trail Blazers' roster aren't long for Rip City and could be traded during the summer regardless of what else happens, while others could be moved in surprise deals that would net general manager Joe Cronin and the front office even more - and even more valuable - assets.

Here's a quartet of players who could be sent packing during the offseason to accelerate Portland's rebuild.

4 Trail Blazers who shouldn't be back next season

Matisse Thybulle

Thybulle came to Portland by way of Philadelphia at the 2023 trade deadline and with more opportunities, went from a zero offensively to a three-and-D threat. He knocked down 1.5 3-pointers per game across 22 games in Rip City. That shooting breakout earned him a three-year, $33 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks, which the Blazers matched.

But the 26-year-old's minutes, scoring and 3-point shooting percentage have all declined this year, as has his role. Portland is a rebuilding team that is also closing in on the luxury tax; Thybulle is still a useful player and his $11 million per year salary isn't wildly high. But the Trail Blazers could clear some cap space and minutes by dealing him to a contending team that could use his high-level perimeter defense.