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The Athletic's Law Murray recently released his post-Finals power rankings. The Blazers were ranked 15th in "The Bubble" tier, or the middle of the pack.
Law wrote, "The Trail Blazers stole the seventh seed from the Phoenix Suns via the Play-In Tournament, stole home-court advantage from the San Antonio Spurs, then held halftime leads in Games 3 and 4 in Portland. It was all downhill from there, as the Spurs took both games in Portland and finished the Blazers in five. For a team that missed the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons and got outscored this season, this was a successful season."
"Yet, interim head coach Tiago Splitter isn’t being rewarded for his efforts after leading the team following the arrest of Chauncey Billups," Law continued. "Portland has Damian Lillard’s return to look forward to, but all of Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson are under contract. That’s a lot of players who need touches unless someone gets traded."
ESPN ranked Portland 19th in its collective post-finals power rankings, with Ben Golliver writing the following:
"The Blazers are one of this summer's biggest wild cards thanks to new owner Tom Dundon, who executed sweeping layoffs in May, was embroiled in PR mess after PR mess after reports surfaced about his cost-cutting measures, and has yet to name a coach.
Will Dundon pursue a splashy addition or take a more deliberate approach?
The good news: The Blazers, who just snapped a four-year playoff drought, have their most important players under contract for 2026-27 and will welcome back franchise icon Damian Lillard from an Achilles injury.
While a return trip to the playoffs will be the goal, Portland still needs more shooting to compete with the West's best."
Bleacher Report also listed the Blazers 19th, showing that the franchise has work to do in the offseason. Murray and Golliver mention the possibility of Portland making a summer splash, which would likely come via trade. Asset consolidation could be the best approach for the Blazers to jump into the championship contender conversation, as they need to surround Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija with a star player.
Every championship team over the last 30 years has had a player selected to the All-NBA first or second team in the same year. Jaylen Brown was named to the All-NBA second team, so he would certainly fit the criterion. Whether Brown or another trade target, the Blazers need to target a star player if they want to make the leap from a play-in team to a championship contender.
Continue reading...
Law wrote, "The Trail Blazers stole the seventh seed from the Phoenix Suns via the Play-In Tournament, stole home-court advantage from the San Antonio Spurs, then held halftime leads in Games 3 and 4 in Portland. It was all downhill from there, as the Spurs took both games in Portland and finished the Blazers in five. For a team that missed the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons and got outscored this season, this was a successful season."
"Yet, interim head coach Tiago Splitter isn’t being rewarded for his efforts after leading the team following the arrest of Chauncey Billups," Law continued. "Portland has Damian Lillard’s return to look forward to, but all of Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson are under contract. That’s a lot of players who need touches unless someone gets traded."
ESPN ranked Portland 19th in its collective post-finals power rankings, with Ben Golliver writing the following:
"The Blazers are one of this summer's biggest wild cards thanks to new owner Tom Dundon, who executed sweeping layoffs in May, was embroiled in PR mess after PR mess after reports surfaced about his cost-cutting measures, and has yet to name a coach.
Will Dundon pursue a splashy addition or take a more deliberate approach?
The good news: The Blazers, who just snapped a four-year playoff drought, have their most important players under contract for 2026-27 and will welcome back franchise icon Damian Lillard from an Achilles injury.
While a return trip to the playoffs will be the goal, Portland still needs more shooting to compete with the West's best."
Bleacher Report also listed the Blazers 19th, showing that the franchise has work to do in the offseason. Murray and Golliver mention the possibility of Portland making a summer splash, which would likely come via trade. Asset consolidation could be the best approach for the Blazers to jump into the championship contender conversation, as they need to surround Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija with a star player.
Every championship team over the last 30 years has had a player selected to the All-NBA first or second team in the same year. Jaylen Brown was named to the All-NBA second team, so he would certainly fit the criterion. Whether Brown or another trade target, the Blazers need to target a star player if they want to make the leap from a play-in team to a championship contender.
Continue reading...
