The Portland Trail Blazers enter an uncertain off-season that rife with speculation from fans and pundits alike. Damian Lillard hasn’t explicitly voiced frustration with the franchise, but a cryptic Instagram post put many Rip City fans on edge heading into July. It seems pretty unlikely Damian Lillard will be traded before this next season, as his contract runs till 2024 (That’s when Lillard has a player option).
So what are some of the dream and nightmare scenarios that could play out during this unpredictable offseason?
One nightmare possibility is the prospect of Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis becoming a Blazer. This would most likely happen via trade, dealing CJ McCollum to Dallas. Surely another player would be involved (and possibly another team), but it’s unlikely to happen considering the low value each player currently holds on the market.
Another popular name floating around on the trade blocks is Minnesota star Karl Anthony Townes. This is considered a dream scenario among many fans. Portland would trade CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic to the T-Wolves for Townes and possibly cash considerations. The move would definitely benefit Portland’s interior scoring, but Minnesota might view the exchange in bad faith. Best not to think too much of this dream.
But most every Blazer fan can agree the most nightmare-ish scenario during this off-season if for the franchise to do nothing. Fans fear general manager Neil Olshey will try and make minor tweaks to an obviously flawed roster and fall right back into mediocrity. Hopefully that idea doesn’t keep you up at night.
