Fischer’s Latest: Blazers’ Backcourt, Young, Hawks, Rockets

The Trail Blazers expect Damian Lillard to be back next season, but his return will bring questions about the direction of Portland’s backcourt moving forward, Jake Fischer writes for the Stein Line in a recent newsletter (subscriber link).

The Blazers have Jrue Holiday under contract for at least one more season – he has a $37.2MM player option for 2027/28 – as well as former No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, who had a torrid start to the first-round series against the Spurs before going cold in the final two games.

The team believes that Lillard and Holiday can function well together in the backcourt, according to Fischer, but with long-term decisions still to be made regarding Henderson, it’s possible that they could look to open up minutes for the young guard, who averaged 15.0 points in his first career playoff series, by moving Holiday in a trade.

The veteran guard and two-time NBA champion said he preferred for that not to happen.

“I don’t like being traded and moved,” Holiday said. “I like being a part of something and building.”

We have more from Fischer’s latest newsletter:

• While rumors have circulated about Anthony Davis‘ future with the Wizards, including reports of potential interest from Portland, Fischer notes that the expectation remains that Washington will come to terms on a lucrative long-term extension for star point guard Trae Young. Young played five games for the Wizards after being traded from the Hawks, and averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.
• After a successful season followed by a devastating Game 6 blowout at the hands of the Knicks, the Hawks are not expected to go star-hunting this summer, despite having a handful of very good trade assets. Instead, the team is expected to focus on locking in deals for CJ McCollum, Jonathan Kuminga, and head coach Quin Snyder, who has one more year on his contract, Fischer reports. He adds that Bryson Graham, the vice president of basketball operations, remains in play for the Bulls’ head of basketball operations job opening.
• The Rockets came to terms with not being a true championship contender when they lost Fred VanVleet to an ACL tear before the season, but a first-round loss to the Lakers and chemistry questions surrounding Kevin Durant could lead to an “all options on the table” summer outlook, Fischer writes, especially given the possibility that players like Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Donovan Mitchell hit the market. Houston will now take inventory of how high a ceiling they believe the team to have, and from there decide whether the roster needs margin tweaks or more substantial moves. Fischer adds that Amen Thompson is expected to be in the mix for a max contract extension after averaging 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.0 steals in his first playoff run, a year after being named All-Defense First Team.