With Damian Lillard set to return from injury and Ja Morant being added to the mix following an offseason trade, the Portland Trail Blazers’ starting backcourt going into the 2026-27 NBA season is still being decided upon. <\/p>\n
Blazers head coach Micah Nori told The Athletic’s Jason Quick<\/a> he plans to use the preseason to tinker with the starting lineup before deciding if either Lillard or Morant will come off the bench when the regular season tips off. <\/p>\n “It’s not set in stone, but probably, because I’m leaning toward wanting to see what it looks like,” Nori said. “And \u2026 I don’t want to start a fire before I need to.”<\/p>\n Nori’s comments come after Lillard told reporters<\/a> on Tuesday “as far as I know” he, Morant and Deni Avdija\u00a0will all be in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n Lillard also said he hadn’t discussed the starting five with Nori thus far. The Blazers also have Jrue Holiday as another point guard option on the roster.<\/p>\n According to Quick, Nori pointed out that starting Morant and Lillard “doesn’t make sense” given how limited both players are defensively, which could make Holiday a more appealing option for the opening lineup.<\/p>\n Portland’s acquisition of Morant was regarded with some confusion because of the presence of Lillard and Holiday.<\/p>\n B\/R’s Dan Favale<\/a> gave the Blazers’ side of the deal a “D” grade due to a combination of the players already on the team and Morant’s style of play not being “particularly adaptable.”<\/p>\n The cost to acquire Morant was so low for Portland \u2014 it only cost<\/a> Jerami Grant and Kris Murray with no draft picks going back to the Memphis Grizzlies \u2014 that there’s no significant risk beyond the roughly $87 million<\/a> Morant is owed over the next two seasons.<\/p>\n