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The Portland Trail Blazers entered this past season with expectations of finishing near the bottom of the Western Conference. While they didn’t make the playoffs, they exceeded expectations, finishing tied for 11th in the West with a 36-46 record, just three games out of the Play-in Tournament.
That means that general manager Mick Cronin should have some confidence in his team entering the offseason, meaning a couple of big moves could help the team reach the playoffs next year.
More Blazers news: Blazers Continue to Be Linked With Sharpshooting ACC Guard Ahead of NBA Draft
NBA insider Marc Sein commented on the possibility that the Trail Blazers will be heavily active, stating:
"Rival teams project Portland as a key team to monitor for potential moves this offseason with four established players on expiring contracts in 2025-26: Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, and big men Robert Williams III and DeAndre Ayton."
The team already has multiple young players in place who seem to be good long-term options in Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and Toumani Camara, but they could use some more big-name players to help them reach the playoffs and gain valuable experience.
With a young roster comes intriguing trade assets, so any other lesser team looking to unload some veterans may be interested in a deal with the Trail Blazers.
While Simons is the top scorer on the team, he does have an expiring contract, meaning he could be involved in trade talks. If anyone is interested in his skillset, a trade and extended move could be in the works for Simons.
The Blazers also have expiring contracts with Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III, and DeAndre Ayton, all younger players who teams may be interested in acquiring for both the short-term and the long term.
If the Blazers want to make a big swing, they also have a big money contract that they would be happy to move in Jerami Grant, who is a bit older and on the decline compared to the rest of the roster.
While most teams won’t be interested in his contract unless the Blazers attach draft capital, he is a great candidate to use for salary matching.
The Blazers also have extremely young players who they could move in Scoot Henderson and Donovan Clingan, but that is very unlikely. The Blazers are not at the contender status it would take to move those caliber of players at the ages they are at.
More Blazers news: Blazers Star Shaedon Sharpe Reveals Major Summer Goal
With long-term options at point guard and center as well as potentially on the wings with Camara and Sharpe, the team will likely be looking for more help on the wings, mainly scorers, who have enough experience and talent to take them to the next level.
Overall, news of being active in the trade talks during this offseason should be exciting news for Blazers fans, as the team is a young and up-and-coming team that is a move or two away from being a playoff team.
For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.
More must-reads:
- Bulls sign HC Billy Donovan to multiyear extension
- Nikola Jokic’s agent sparks LeBron James to Denver speculation with Instagram post
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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