The Portland Trail Blazers are entering an exciting offseason because they have a largely unfinished roster that they could take in several different directions. Nearly half of their team should be considered potential trade candidates after being one of the only teams not to make a move at the historic trade deadline.
While none of Portland's players should be truly untouchable in today's NBA, it's becoming clear that they have a future starting five to build around in Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan.
Not only do they need to trade several veterans to clear the path for this starting five to become a reality, but they also must decide which of their other young players they envision to be a long-term part of their core.
Develop: Rayan Rupert
Rayan Rupert is still unpolished and years away from being a key contributor for the Blazers. But he possesses a high ceiling, given his unique skill set, which Portland would find hard to replace elsewhere.
Rupert is 6-foot-6 and has the ballhandling and playmaking to become a valuable point-forward off the bench eventually. He also has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, which makes him a versatile defender who is already valuable on that end of the court. Rupert constantly harasses the ballhandler, even picking them up full-court.
There's a possibility that Rupert never reaches this ceiling and doesn't develop into this unicorn of a two-way, point-forward hybrid type player. But he's also only 20 years old. The Blazers are years away from contending and need to continue patiently developing Rupert to know precisely what they have on their hands.
Develop: Jabari Walker
Jabari Walker's contract expires, and the Blazers may decide to let him walk. But even though they have limited roster space, they should consider keeping Walker around.
Walker is just 22 years old and has shown legitimate progress as a shooter, surprisingly becoming a 38.9 percent three-point shooter after finishing his first two seasons under 30 percent. It's unlikely that leap is sustainable, but Walker continues to trend in the right direction.
By extending Chauncey Billups, the Blazers are committed to taking on the identity of his Detroit Pistons team of old. Walker fits into that mold with his physicality as a 6-foot-7, 237-pound forward who is a menace on the glass. He's the exact type of player Portland should want to have on the end of their bench, as he provides energy, knows his role, and rarely tries to do too much.
Give up on: Dalano Banton
The Blazers picked up Dalano Banton's option for 2024-25, which was the right decision at the time. Banton showed enough promise the previous season for Portland to give him an extended audition, seeing how he would fare in a lessened role. Banton still provided scoring off the bench and could stick around in the league as a 6-foot-8 jumbo guard yet to enter his prime -- but that shouldn't be with the Blazers.
Portland needs more playmaking and three-point shooting, which aren't Banton's strong suits. Unfortunately, he's an inefficient score-first guard, and Portland already has enough of those players.
Give up on: Kris Murray
It may be an unpopular opinion to want the Blazers to part ways with Kris Murray, someone they invested a first-round pick in just two years ago. It would also be surprising if Portland did give up on him since Billups seems to like having him around as part of the bench rotation, averaging 15.1 minutes this season. His 6-foot-8 frame makes him a versatile defender, and his forward spot is one of Portland's most prominent positions of need.
However, it's incredibly difficult not to be an offensive liability if you can't effectively space the floor in today's NBA, especially as a wing. Murray went from 26.8 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie to an abysmal 22.5 percent this season. He's also already 24 years old despite playing just two seasons, suggesting there may not be as much room for improvement in that department.
Portland should see what they could get for Murray before the rest of the league catches on that he's too unreliable on the offensive end.