Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has mentioned that making the playoffs next season is a reasonable expectation. That should inspire hope for Blazers fans, who have endured four long rebuilding seasons. But, while Rip City is understandably eager to get back to the playoffs after their 36-win season, it's also essential that they don't rush the rebuild only to wind up in long-term purgatory.
Typically, you'd see a big-name superstar acquisition for a franchise's dream depth chart after an ideal offseason. That's surprisingly not the case here. They may not realize this, but the Blazers aren't yet at that phase in their rebuilding process and shouldn't skip steps.
They first need to trade veterans to clear the path for their young core, which was primarily responsible for their play-in push at the end of the season. Then, once that core grows and develops together, they can make a more aggresive move to win now.
Point guard
Scoot Henderson
Kasparas Jakucionis
Terry Rozier
In this scenario, Portland ships Anfernee Simons to his long-rumored trade destination: the Orlando Magic. In return, the Blazers receive Orlando's 2025 first-round pick and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a salary filler.
With the No. 10 overall pick, Portland selects their ideal draft prospect in Kasparas Jakucionis. Given his size and combo guard skillset, he'd be a perfect backup to Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Terry Rozier wouldn't be part of the Blazers' long-term plans with a contract that expires after next season.
This would finally give Scoot the keys to the backcourt, providing him with a valuable opportunity to become more consistent as the focal point. And, if Henderson can't build off of his promising second season, Jakucionis would serve as a safe insurance policy.
Shooting guard
Shaedon Sharpe
Kasparas Jakucionis
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara have proven that, regardless of the Blazers' offseason moves, they must remain in the starting lineup. That makes Portland's situation trickier as Sharpe would ideally be their starting shooting guard, especially since he was on the verge of a breakout to finish out the 2024-25 season and will look to carry that momentum into his fourth year.
The obvious solution to this problem is to move Jerami Grant. In this scenario, the Blazers ship Grant to the Miami Heat, who could be in the market for a cheap roster upgrade after a likely first-round playoff exit to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A backcourt trio of Henderson-Sharpe-Jakucionis oozes with upside, as all three would be recent top-ten picks. Odds are two of those three would develop into becoming above-average starters, at the very least.
Caldwell-Pope would provide Portland with much-needed floor spacing and a veteran presence to help bridge the gap.
Small forward
Toumani Camara
Matisse Thybulle
Haywood Highsmith
Matisse Thybulle was limited to just 15 games this season but looked the part of an All-Defense player during the small sample size. Between Thybulle and Camara, the Blazers have arguably the best defensive wing duo in the entire league.
It appears that will continue to be the case for at least the next season, with Thybulle expected to return, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Similarly to Rozier, Haywood Highsmith is a salary filler for the Blazers to get off of Grant's contract, which is more long-term. He could be an under-the-radar addition to help bolster Portland's wing depth, an area they must address this summer.
This would be a solid group of defensive-minded wings, but it would be successful because all three are better shooters than given credit for. That floor spacing would be invaluable, with the Blazers' offense trending towards building around Avdija.
Power forward
Deni Avdija
Jabari Walker
Kris Murray
Power forward is the one unchanged position, but these moves would give the Blazers enough financial flexibility to address their lack of depth in the coming seasons. Avdija is the biggest starting lineup lock, as it's become clear he's Portland's best player and the one they should be constructing their roster around.
Jabari Walker's contract is up, and it's possible the Blazers let him walk to open up a roster spot, but here they decide to give him an extended audition to see whether or not his improved three-point shooting is here to stay.
The small forwards are pretty interchangeable and could take minutes from Walker and Kris Murray as well.
Center
Onyeka Okongwu
Donovan Clingan
Deandre Ayton
The Blazers agree to package Robert Williams III and Orlando's first-round pick (acquired from the Simons deal) to land Onyeka Okongwu.
Okongwu averaged 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.9 blocks on 57/32/76 shooting splits and had a breakout season with Atlanta finally prioritizing him over Clint Capela. There's been nothing to suggest the Hawks are actively trying to trade Okongwu, but it's clear they need to make a move this offseason to shake up their roster after continually hovering around the play-in.
Okongwu would fit the Blazers' timeline perfectly. He's just 24 years old and on an incredibly team-friendly contract, owed a total of $48 million over the next three seasons. His versatility and Donovan Clingan's rim protection would be an excellent one-two punch, giving Portland a younger and more reliable option over the injury-prone Williams.
In this scenario, the Blazers can't find a suitor to take on Ayton's massive $35.6 million salary next season, which is a realistic possibility. The depth chart here is debatable, and you could make a case to start any of these three centers, but Ayton wouldn't be part of Portland's long-term plans as they look to build around Okongwu and Clingan as their dynamic anchor duo.
In: Onyeka Okongwu, Kasparas Jakucionis, Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Out: Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Dalano Banton, Duop Reath, Robert Williams III
This dream offseason would check off several boxes and help address glaring roster flaws for Portland. Most importantly, they would finally clear the path for their youth movement. They'd have six recent top-ten picks (Jakucionis, Clingan, Sharpe, Henderson, Avdija, and Okongwu) and Camara to build around.
Jakucionis would be an absolute steal at No. 10 and would solidify the Blazers' backcourt going forward. Portland gets more shooting to help unlock their young core and finds a non-traditional big man to complement Clingan. The Okongwu trade is reminiscent of last year's Avdija deal, as the Blazers sacrifice valuable draft capital but add someone who is an ideal fit in terms of age, contract, and roster needs.
By acquiring these team-friendly (Okongwu) and short-term (Highsmith, Rozier, Caldwell-Pope) deals, the Blazers would be positioning themselves to be more aggresive in the 2026 offseason when they have much more cap space.
This depth chart wouldn't be enough to make the playoffs in the West. However, it's a necessary transitional step to help Portland clear out several logjams and contracts that hinder their long-term outlook.
Hopefully, Cronin doesn't skip this crucial step in Portland's rebuild this summer.