The Portland Trail Blazers have built a frontcourt that makes sense on paper, even if the backcourt picture still looks crowded and messy. The guard rotation is a separate problem for another day. Up front, though, the blueprint is clearer: Portland has committed to a long view, and that plan has already reshaped the roster around Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen.
Deandre Ayton’s buyout was a major piece of that shift. It not only forced him to give back $10 million of his salary, it also opened the door for Clingan to move into a starting role. With his conditioning improving and his three-point shooting coming along, Clingan has settled into the kind of trajectory that makes him look like Portland’s center of the future.
That is part of why Hansen’s place on the roster is so interesting. The Blazers took the first-round gamble on him knowing he was a project, and they still believe in the upside even after a rough rookie season. He is only 21, and Portland’s stance on that long-term investment has not changed.
For now, though, the Blazers are not eager to rush him. Portland used Hansen in 43 games last season, which probably still pushed him more than the team wanted. Tiago Splitter put it plainly: "we have to be careful there" when it comes to his minutes, and he said he was reluctant to throw Hansen into the fire in a situation he is clearly not ready for.
There are signs that Hansen is starting to flash what made him such an appealing swing. His Summer League run showed a player moving faster, putting bigger defenders on the deck on the perimeter, and carrying himself with the kind of confidence that comes from succeeding at that level. The challenge now is making that translate when the games count for Portland.
That is where the fit gets tricky. Hansen was drafted with the idea that he could eventually grow into an offensive hub, but that vision is still a long way off. The Blazers are trying to figure out how his passing and touch can matter when he is not the center of the offense, while also recognizing that they do not want him handling the ball in situations that ask too much too soon.
Clingan is the biggest obstacle in that equation. Hansen’s path to real minutes is complicated by the fact that Portland already has a young center ahead of him, and the rest of the frontcourt depth was built to keep Hansen from being forced into a role he cannot yet handle.
The team extended Williams on a three-year, $44 million deal with only the first year fully guaranteed, a move that helps account for injury risk. Portland also added Micah Potter, Branden Carlson, and Jeremy Sochan for more depth.
Williams still has a case as one of the league’s better backup bigs, but the Blazers know they need more bodies behind him. That is especially true with the possibility of another injury and the reality that Hansen is not someone they can count on in that kind of spot, particularly in the playoffs. So Portland brought in insurance.
In that sense, the setup may work for both sides. The Blazers probably used Hansen more than expected last season, and now they have the option of letting him spend more time with the Rip City Remix while he continues to develop. However Portland chooses to handle the next phase of the project, the roster gives them at least one more season to keep building without having to force Hansen into a role he is not ready to fill.
In Other News...
Bulls Fans Will Circle One Blazers Game For Tiago Splitter
The Trail Blazers are expected to have their upcoming schedule out soon, and the release should come with the usual set of dates circled by fans looking for the most interesting road trips and home dates. Portlands first visit to the FedEx Forum figures to draw plenty of attention, not just because of the matchup with the Grizzlies, but because it will also mark Ja Morants return to Memphis after the June trade that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Portland.
There is another date that will matter more in Portlands own building, even if it means looking beyond the box score. Tiago Splitter, who stepped in as interim coach after Chauncey Billups departure and guided the Blazers last season, has taken a coaching job with the Chicago Bulls instead of returning to Portland, leaving the franchise with one more unresolved question as the new schedule starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]