The Portland Trail Blazers are back to their winning ways, ending a five-year playoff drought after a successful 42-40 season. They'll look to carry that momentum into next season, with new owner Tom Dundon having high standards and expectations of establishing a winning culture.
Damian Lillard's return will certainly help, but this team needs to make serious changes if they want a realistic shot at a deep playoff run in what should be an even deeper Western Conference next season.
Whether it's letting players walk in free agency or trading away liabilities, these five players should be the odd ones out in Portland this summer.
Matisse Thybulle
Both Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle are eligible to sign an extension up to four years, $87 million before June 30. Due to their extensive injury histories, keeping both veterans around comes with a lot of risk for Portland. Between the two, it's Time Lord who's proven to be far more impactful.
In theory, Thybulle is the ideal defensive weapon to bolster the Blazers defensive identity. Unfortunately, that hasn't been reality, as he's totaled just 45 games played the past two seasons.
Blake Wesley
Blake Wesley was another piece who fit Portland's newfound identity, using his speed to hound defenders the length of the court. An untimely foot fracture derailed his momentum, as Wesley struggled to carve out a role following his return.
The Blazers have made it clear that addressing their shooting woes is the biggest point of emphasis this summer. Moving on from Wesley -- a 27.8 percent three-point shooter this season -- could be a difficult but necessary addition-by-subtraction move.
Caleb Love
An undrafted rookie, Caleb Love quickly became a fan favorite in Portland. He was one of the more NBA-ready prospects, given his age and collegiate experience, which boded well for the Blazers as he helped fill the void of their depleted backcourt throughout the season. But with a healthier roster headlined by Lillard's return, Love is now expendable.
It was an exciting first year, but he may have already served his purpose. As a high-volume score first guard who's inefficient, it's hard to find a scenario in which Love's role can effectively scale down. Portland would be better off using a final roster spot on an end-of-bench player who can impact winning without the ball.
Kris Murray
Kris Murray has a $5.3 million team option for next season. That's a reasonable value, considering his defensive impact and ability to guard multiple positions. While a switchable defensive-minded wing is a coveted player archetype in the modern NBA, Murray's offensive limitations are a poor fit for this Blazers roster.
On far too many occasions, Portland's offense stalled when they kicked out to Murray on the perimeter. Now entering his fourth season, Murray remains a sub-30 percent shooter from beyond the arc. It's becoming increasingly difficult to justify a continued investment in someone who has seemingly plateaued.
Even if they pick up the team option, it's in Portland's best interest to explore trades for Murray.
Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant's bounce-back season could finally open the door for Portland to dump his massive contract. He's owed $34.2 million next season with a $36.4 million player option for the following year.
The Blazers are exploring star trade targets under the aggressive new owner. If they want to accelerate their timeline with a win-now move, Grant's contract is the most logical salary filler to include in any package. Even if they take the roster in the opposite direction and prioritize the future, moving Grant would make it far easier financially for Portland to renegotiate and extend Deni Avdija.
At this point, the Blazers are running out of reasons to keep Grant in his hometown.
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