NBA/Blazers 2025-26 Thread

[bellsduck]

If they are still anticipating having to trade Holiday and Sharpe to Boston, then this makes at least a little bit of sense. It's a buy low opportunity and that's how I'll look at it for now.

[Phalanx]

Top 5 Reasons I like this trade:

1. Satisfies the 'splash' that everyone was demanding without giving up draft picks. Reinforces the idea, albeit temporarily, that Dundon will rebuild via the draft.

2. Frees up a roster spot, while shedding a very negative contract.

3. Less than $3 million difference in salaries this year.

4. Grant is 32, Ja is 26. Team gets younger.

5. Plays Lillard's position and is signed for two years. Muahahaha!

[squintsdd]

This is potentially the consolidation trade we were looking for at a low risk. Two players we won't miss for a head case that might be able to return to all-star form, or maybe not. Really hope this means they aren't trading picks. Will they trade Scoot or Shaedon next?

I actually like this. They got rid of a nobody and a guy who is massively overpaid for a potential stud, if he returns to form and keep his s*** together. They gave up zero picks, and held on to Sharpe and Henderson. They lost hardly any leverage when it comes to pulling off another massive trade.

My only concern is that Avdija needs the ball to be the Allstar that he was last year. So having 3 ball dominant players on the court at once will be an interesting dynamic to watch. Something has to give, and I think we're going to see more of lillard floating around the 3 point line off the ball kick outs.

[Boom]

Great value on the trade. Terrible fit for this team. Gotta wait and see how everything shakes out.

[greenyellow]

What makes the deal even better is the Grizzlies threw in $1M so the Blazers would take him. That basically pays for most of Nori's reported salary next season.

[Phalanx]

Great value on the trade. Terrible fit for this team. Gotta wait and see how everything shakes out.

Reminds me a lot of when Bob Whitsitt traded for JR Rider. I'm seeing a lot of Jail Blazers references today, but people forget that those teams were the last time the Blazers were contenders. After years of Lillard's self-aggrandizement and more years of tanking, I am ready for an increase in team talent. Hopefully this is the first of several moves to get us there.

Unfortunately, it seems like they will probably trade Jrue next. Too soon to sell low on Scoot, unless he won't sign an extension.

[Phalanx]

My only concern is that Avdija needs the ball to be the Allstar that he was last year. So having 3 ball dominant players on the court at once will be an interesting dynamic to watch. Something has to give, and I think we're going to see more of lillard floating around the 3 point line off the ball kick outs.

Agreed on Lillard off ball. I know the team supposedly says Lillard and Ja will be the starters, but I think it's baloney. First of all, if Lillard is able to return to form after an ACL at age 36, he will be opting out of his contract at the end of this season. If he doesn't return to form, then he is not going to be starting long. Either way, it would be really dumb to plan around him at all. He's a novelty specifically intended to put butts in the seats this season, hopefully while they wait for draft picks to mature.

I'm willing to wait and see what cream rises to the top, but the best scenario for the future of the team is for Scoot and Ja to ascend into the starting roles with Jrue (if he isn't traded) as 6th man until Sharpe can get his game together. Trading Jrue for needed help in the front court would be nice, but I'm not sure how many teams want to pay $35 million for a backup point guard.

[Boom]

I'm fine with not factoring the 35 year olds into the team building. My main concern is how does this impact Scoot and how does Ja fit with Deni moving forward. Hopefully Deni is making the needed progress on his jump shot and his overall off ball game. If Deni has peaked or marginally improves then I don't think it's going to be a good fit.

[Phalanx]

I'm fine with not factoring the 35 year olds into the team building. My main concern is how does this impact Scoot and how does Ja fit with Deni moving forward. Hopefully Deni is making the needed progress on his jump shot and his overall off ball game. If Deni has peaked or marginally improves then I don't think it's going to be a good fit.

Deni is like Lillard. He's a #2 guy who has been thrust into the #1 role for lack of offensive talent around him. Jaylen Brown was kind of the same last season. These guys end up holding the ball too much and putting too much on their own shoulders, abandoning the efficiency of the team game. It's good for them to have other talented players on the team. Their stats might go down some, but they learn how to play efficient, winning ball more. Ja has likely lost a lot of the explosiveness that made him a highlight reel several years ago. What we are hoping is that he still has those quick instincts that made him a great playmaker. His assists/36 minutes for his career are much higher than Lillard's. He can put his teammates in good position to score. Maybe he can help Deni cut down on his turnover problem, although Ja seems to be a little sloppy in that area as well.

There are obviously more moves coming, so we are not making projections with all the info. The current roster is very unbalanced:

PG Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard
SG Shaedon Sharpe, Vít Krejčí
SF Deni Avdija, Sidy Cissoko
PF Toumani Camara
C Donovan Clingan, Yang Hansen

Even with the two-point-guard lineup they used last year, this rotation isn't going to work. Plus, one of those point guards was always Jrue Holiday, who is a solid defender. Ja and Lillard would be a disaster on defense. There is some room on the payroll for signing a few guys. Hopefully there are some decent targets on the radar.

[pezsez1]

PG Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard
SG Shaedon Sharpe, Vít Krejčí
SF Deni Avdija, Sidy Cissoko
PF Toumani Camara
C Donovan Clingan, Yang Hansen

The roster is so unbalanced right now it's insane, and you've got it right in terms of where people should be playing. But if this is really how it's going to be, then I think the actual rotation will probably be more like:

PG: Morant, Henderson
SG: Dame, Jru
SF: Deni, Sidy
PF: Camara
C: Clingan, Hansen

Won't play much: Sharpe/Krejčí

Jru is a combo guard and already plays the 2 better than Sharpe/Krejčí. Dame is a career PG, and I have questions about his effectiveness as a 2, but his shooting/playmaking is elite enough that he should be on the floor over Sharpe and Krejčí (neither of them play much defense anyway).

Really though this backcourt is an unbalanced disaster and Joe Cronin had better have another move up his sleeve. If not, he should be fired.

[Phalanx]

Well they got RWIII back anyway. Not my favorite way to burn $14-15 million, but there wasn't a lot out there, and he did have a good season last year. The guy has just been injured so much, and there are so few post players on the team. Hope he can stay healthy. On a side note, I love how secretive Cronin and the team are being. Quick reported that they weren't keeping Time Lord, and today he signs a contract and Quick washes the egg off his face.

Obviously, they are going with the 2pg lineup like last year, and that means Jrue is at SG. If they start Lillard there with Ja at PG, other teams' backcourts will eat them alive. I have no idea how Lillard fits on this team in general, so I guess we'll see, but if it was me, I would only play him opposite Jrue or maybe Scoot so that somebody is playing some defense.

[bellsduck]

They're clearly moving forward not expecting much out of Lillard this year, which is the smart thing to do. As several have mentioned on here, coming back from any injury like that and at his age, it's preposterous to assume he's going to come back and play 35 minutes a game.

Looks like LeBron is available.