The Trail Blazers entered the 2021/22 and '22/23 seasons with postseason aspirations, but sold off veterans at the trade deadline and shut down a handful of injured regulars during the second half of each season, resulting in consecutive lottery finishes. Recognizing the limitations of their roster, the Blazers leaned fully into the rebuild in 2023 by trading away longtime star Damian Lillard and subsequently posted a 2023/24 record of 21-61, tied for the second-worst mark ever for a franchise that has been active for more than a half-century.
Portland looked headed for a similar outcome early in '24/25. Head coach Chauncey Billups was already believed to be on the hot seat entering the season, so when the Blazers lost 18 of their first 26 games and posted a 13-28 first-half record, it seemed to just be a question of whether or not management would wait until the end of the regular season to replace him.
Then something unexpected happened: Portland caught fire.
From January 19 through the end of February, the Trail Blazers went 14-5, reeling off three separate winning streaks of four-plus games and posting the NBA's second-best defensive rating. While they weren't exactly facing a murderer's row of opponents during that stretch, the Blazers registered some impressive victories, with their only losses coming against strong playoff teams (the Thunder, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Lakers).
The Blazers cooled off in March and fell out of legitimate play-in contention by April, but their 23-18 second-half run represented some of the best basketball they'd played in years. It was also enough to earn Billups and general manager Joe Cronin contract extensions, ensuring that they'll continue to lead the franchise for the foreseeable future.
You could argue that the Blazers are overvaluing the importance of a strong couple months -- after all, it's probably not realistic to expect this team to play at a 46-win pace for an entire season. Still, several of the club's young players, including Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and newly minted All-Defensive second-teamer Toumani Camara, made legitimate strides and provided reasons for optimism going forward. And Cronin and his front office presumably know there's still work to be done before this roster can be considered playoff-caliber.
The Trail Blazers' Offseason Plan
Most of the players currently under contract with the Trail Blazers for the 2025/26 season fall into one of two groups: veterans who may be offseason trade candidates and young players whom the team is building around. Let's start with the veterans.
