The Portland Trail Blazers had another season that they would rather forget. They weren’t even good enough to make the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference, and as a result, they decided to make some big moves at the trade deadline.
They sent Robert Covington and Norman Powell to the LA Clippers, receiving Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson, Justise Winslow, and a future second-round draft pick. They then made the massive trade where they sent CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell to the New Orleans Pelicans. In return, they received Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Didi Louzada, Tomas Satoransky, a 2022 first-round draft pick, and two future second-round draft picks.
Portland then flipped Alexander-Walker and Satoransky for Elijah Hughes, Joe Ingles, and a 2022 second-round pick. This was a true roster blowup that is going to allow the Trail Blazers to rebuild around Damian Lillard again. The Trail Blazers have said that the superstar is going to have a lot of say in who the franchise puts around him.
Moves the Portland Trail Blazers need to make this offseason: 1. Draft well
The Trail Blazers have two lottery picks this draft and that bodes well for their future. One is projected to go in the top six and the other, thanks to the McCollum trade, is expected to be towards the end of the lottery.
While the Trail Blazers have been a guard-dominated team since LaMarcus Aldridge left them, they are now in need of a good young guard. On top of that, with their current roster structure, a solid power forward is the second glaring need. The Blazers need to address these needs with their two first-round picks.