The Portland Trail Blazers have made a few key moves in what is shaping to be an extremely surprising offseason. Whether it was the trade for Jrue Holiday, the selection of Yang Hansen, or the signing of Damian Lillard, each addition (other than Blake Wesley) had potentially franchise-altering implications. <\/p>\n
Each move served a unique purpose for Portland as well. By adding Holiday, the Blazers doubled down on their defensive identity and made a win-now move to make a legitimate push at a play-in spot. <\/p>\n
Blazers’ most important addition was Yang Hansen<\/p>\n
Lillard’s exciting Blazers reunion made perfect sense for both parties. Between his contracts with the Bucks and Blazers, Dame is set to make $70 million<\/a> in a season he likely won’t even play. He gets to rehab his torn Achilles close to family, and eventually returns to a Blazers roster that is much better equipped to complement his game than the one he left. Meanwhile, Portland gets a buy-low opportunity, signing a superstar to a three-year, $42 million deal in hopes that he returns close to the player he once was. <\/p>\n However, the reality for Portland is that the additions of these aging (and injured) stars won’t drastically alter their outlook, as evidenced by their 33.5 win total projection for next season. As talented as they are, Holiday and Lillard don’t align with the Blazers’ rebuilding timeline. The Holiday trade in particular was a bet on the Blazers’ young core being ready to take that next step, but they are still years away from being contenders in the loaded Western Conference. <\/p>\n From that standpoint, their most important move this summer was their draft selection. Fortunately for the Blazers’ long-term outlook, it’s the steal of the entire offseason. <\/p>\n Yang Hansen has a franchise-altering ceiling<\/p>\n