The Trail Blazers were linked to Blake Griffin. They're still in the running for LaMarcus Aldridge. Harry Giles III is likely to play on Thursday for the first time in a month, and Jusuf Nurkic's return is imminent.
Portland, one way or another, will soon address its lack of depth up front. But the lengths Neil Olshey and Terry Stotts go to fortifying their group of big men seem poised to be influenced by an unexpected development: The availability of Zach Collins.
The Athletic's Jason Quick reported on Thursday there's a chance that Collins is not only ready for the playoffs, but could make his 2020-21 debut before the end of the regular season.
"I’m being told the team is gaining hope that Collins could return for the playoffs, if not before the regular season is over on May 16...The hope is that this surgery better fuses the break, and I’ve been told the signs so far are encouraging and that a four-month return isn’t out of the question."
Collins went under the knife for a second surgery on his troublesome left ankle on December 30. A return after four months would mean Collins is available in early May, roughly two weeks before the regular-season finale.
In February, Collins told The Athletic that he was "definitely not rushing back" from his most recent surgery. He learned after suffering a setback in December while rehabbing from previous surgery on the same ankle that "doing more and more stuff every day" is not a prudent path to avoiding re-injury.
Collins' emphasis on patience this time around ensures Portland won't be rushing him back before he has a clean bill of health and has reached game-ready conditioning. Indeed, The Athletic predicted the end of May as a more "realistic" expectation for Collins' return than exactly four months out from surgery.
Obviously, Collins' prospective role with the Blazers once he's healthy enough to play depends on many factors, but none more important than his performance. It's foolish to expect any player who's missed a full regular season to thrive while being thrown into the playoff fire. That Collins has played just eight total games since October 2019 will only make his re-acclimation to the speed and physicality of NBA basketball even more difficult.
The state of Portland's roster come May looms large, too. Signing Aldridge after he's bought out or trading for Aaron Gordon would affect the Blazers' postseason plans for Collins in very different ways.
Fortunately, these are good problems for Portland to have. Collins' presence this season would be a luxury, and more likely than not prove largely inconsequential on the court. It's Collins' fate in Rip City beyond then that's a much bigger question for he and the Blazers as restricted free agency dawns.
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