The Portland Trail Blazers still have a few loose ends to tie up before training camp arrives in September, and the biggest ones go beyond the court.
One of the first issues hanging over the franchise is the ongoing lease discussion with the city of Portland for the Moda Center. The Blazers are in active negotiations, but those talks have not gotten off to a strong start. A meeting is expected in the coming weeks, and there needs to be meaningful movement before then if the process is going to head in the right direction.
There’s also the matter of how the team communicates with its fans. Before the season gets rolling, the Blazers need to have real, honest conversations about where they’re headed. Based on how owner Tom Dundon has handled things in the past, though, that does not seem likely.
On the roster side, Portland has an open spot and a clear type of player it could target: another wing. The Blazers already have four centers and four point guards, so the fit is there.
Nicolas Batum stands out as the name that makes sense, especially for a team looking for a veteran who can help raise the level without disrupting the rotation. He brings experience, can still contribute on both ends, and wouldn’t take away from anyone’s minutes.
The point guard situation remains the most tangled part of the roster picture. Over the last couple of years, Portland has moved awkwardly at the position after taking Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Since then, the Blazers have traded for Jrue Holiday and Ja Morant, while also re-signing Damian Lillard after sending him to the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster deal to open the window for him to be the team’s point guard of the future.
That plan has not gone the way the team hoped. Henderson hasn’t fully worked out, which is why Portland has kept looking for answers at point guard. The Blazers still believe he can become a key player, especially after he started five games in the 2026 NBA playoffs, but they need to settle on a direction for him.
They can either extend him on a new contract, since he has only one year left on his rookie deal, or trade him before the season starts and try to get solid value back before his playing time and value decline.
In Other News...
Tom Dundon Is Already Testing Blazers Fans In A Big Way
Tom Dundons first months as the Trail Blazers owner have not exactly calmed nerves around the franchise. Since being officially appointed in March, he has already made a series of unpopular moves that have left longtime employees and a wary fan base uneasy about where the organization is headed, especially after a round of job cuts and the kind of internal churn that tends to linger well beyond one offseason.
The bigger concern now is what happens next in Portland. Negotiations with the city over a new arena deal have reportedly not gone well, and that has only added to the uncertainty around the teams future in the market. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has voiced support for keeping the Blazers in Portland, but for now the questions around Dundons direction remain very much alive. [Read more 🡒]