One of the most notorious (and easily traceable by people who need to touch grass) parts of the modern NBA offseason is which players that are “likely to be traded” or in this particular case “sure would like to be traded” are following which teams on social media.
Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard recently unfollowed his club of the past 11 seasons, which he’s spent becoming what many call the greatest Blazer of all time. The all-time franchise leading scorer both in single-game contests and total points, and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team, this is hardly a surprise, as Lillard has been adamant about leaving the team since they didn’t make moves that satisfied his timeline, including drafting point guard Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick this past June.
There’s no reason that Portland wouldn’t have traded Lillard by this point, as up until recently, there seems to have been a tremendous amount of mutual respect from player to club. The only reason he remains a Blazer, as many know, is because he’s said he’d like to explicitly be traded to the Miami Heat, a team that doesn't have equitable assets to swap for a player of his caliber.
So, did they find a deal? Is Portland going to end up seriously shafted to appease someone who brought in tons of money to that franchise? Does a third team with a few more assets (like the Brooklyn Nets) enter the picture and even out some value? Until a move is made, it’s impossible to say, so for now we’re just going to look at the rest of the Portland roster (at least the contributors) and try to find a direction it’s pointed in.
This is worth its own paragraph, but the Blazers should not have failed to agree to a deal with F Trendon Watford. The 6’9” LSU alum is now undoubtedly going to bring his oversized playmaking and toughness to a Brooklyn team that will be glad to have him.
Jusuf Nurkic
Rejoice, Blazers fans, I do think that the right move here is to shed the big man. His current contract situation is a bit of a catastrophe, but should a megadeal of any sort begin to come together, some team looking for a starting center may be willing to pay. When Nurk is healthy and focused, he’s as good as some of the best in the league at his position, but you’d like to see him in that condition for more than 25 games a year.
Anfernee Simons
The Blazers not moving “Ant” and picking Scoot Henderson while Damian Lillard remains in Portland was a clear signal from GM Joe Cronin and his staff that they are a big believer in the IMG Academy product. Should Lillard depart, Simons could immediately become a 24+ppg player and the offensive centerpiece of a rebuilding team.
Shaedon Sharpe
When the Blazers were bouncing around potential deals to land themselves a superstar in exchange for the #3 pick, one quote that came out is that just about everyone was available except for Sharpe, a 20-year-old Canadian who was a social media superstar last year with his outrageous leaping ability. His ceiling as a 6’5” two-way nightmare is very very intriguing, especially if he continues to develop his shooting and playmaking, and there’s a rotation of Simons/Sharpe/Henderson that’s in constant attack mode and equally effective scoring and playmaking.
Jerami Grant
The largest move the Blazers DID make this summer was resigning forward Jerami Grant for five years, at over $30 million per. Some consider this an overpay for a player of Grant’s caliber, but there were rumors that the Sacramento Kings were one of the potential suitors for the Syracuse alum, and if the Blazers want to stay at least a little bit relevant in a Western Conference that’s been notoriously challenging for many years now, the Kings are absolutely a team they will have to ward off.
Scoot Henderson
If we want to play the “what’s the Blazers’ starting lineup going to be if Dame leaves?” game, Henderson likely just misses the cut, unless the early part of his rookie campaign involves him leaning on Anfernee Simons for minutes. That team probably looks like Simons/Sharpe/Nassir Little OR Matisse Thybulle/Grant/Nurkic. If Henderson has real opportunity in the second unit as a freshman in the NBA, he could easily be a contender for Rookie of the Year (you know, depending on what that big Frenchman does).
Some Others
Nassir Little: With one of my favorite contracts in the league (4 years, $28 million), the Blazers would be extremely wise to retain the versatile Little, especially with the departure of Trendon Watford and the hole that leaves in the frontcourt. His shooting and attacking have only improved since his arrival in the league, and he’s a very good rebounder from the wing.
Matisse Thybulle: After receiving an offer sheet to be an enforcer around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas, Portland decided to match it and retain the “local” (PNW product, University of Washington alum) talent. Thybulle’s improving shooting mixed with his provably elite defense makes him valuable to any team, and within a rotation of stout wings in Portland, he’ll still get plenty of time for the value of his deal.
Jabari Walker: With the departure of Watford, second-year man Jabari Walker, a surprise contributor after being selected at pick #57, will almost certainly be asked to take on an increased role in the power forward (does that position still exist?) slot. He has a similar frame to Watford, and showed flashes of being much more than a paint threat and strong rebounding presence as a rookie, so he may be the most interesting player to track this season.
Ibou Badji: Okay, so it’s worth mentioning that IF Jusuf Nurkic is moved out of Portland (an if almost as big as Nurk is, that contract makes me shudder), what’s moved back towards Portland is likely someone with some size. If for whatever reason that isn’t what happens, first thing is the Blazers should become familiar with Spanish center Aday Mara, and the second is realize that Ibou Badji, who sat out all of last season with a knee injury, is going to play. Like, a lot. His stats didn’t blow anyone away at Summer League this year (the 1.8 blocks look nice), but his physical presence is undeniable.
If the Blazers end up without Damian Lillard and/or Jusuf Nurkic at any point during the 2023-24 season, their current identity is best suited to embrace youth and athleticism, and play as downhill as Head Coach Chauncey Billups will allow. A three-headed monster of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson is going to be hard to stop at full speed, no matter how stout the defense is. If the supplementary pieces, guys like Little, Thybulle, and Walker take the steps needed, the Blazers will be at least “better than completely terrible”, even if their win total is down significantly without their established stars. A player I’d like to see Portland make an effort to get is Nicolas Claxton, especially if Brooklyn ends up making themselves a member of a three-team deal involving Lillard and Nurkic. And while we’re at it, Joe? Trade back for Trendon, please.
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