The Portland Trail Blazers’ decision to lock up Robert Williams III on a three-year, $44 million extension is looking smarter by the day.
On its own, the deal made plenty of sense. Williams had a strong 2025-26 season and established himself as one of the league’s better backup bigs. Portland also protected itself from the obvious injury concerns by building the contract in a way that helped limit the risk.
Now, with preseason underway, the extension looks less like a nice piece of business and more like a move that may have saved the Blazers from their own roster construction. Portland went in a much guard-heavier direction this offseason after the surprising trade for polarizing Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, and that naturally raised a lot of questions.
Fit has been the big one. The Blazers struggled badly to shoot the ball last season, and there were real concerns about how the defense would hold up too. A Morant-Damian Lillard starting backcourt was always going to invite scrutiny, and head coach Micah Nori has reportedly questioned the logic of that pairing.
But preseason has started to show that the starting lineup may not be the issue everyone thinks it is. Shaedon Sharpe’s injury opened up roughly 30 minutes per night, and Portland also plans to use the versatile Jrue Holiday more at forward this season.
So far, the Blazers are handling the guard logjam better than expected. That has a lot to do with skill level, versatility and a willingness to share the ball. But none of it works without the defensive foundation Portland already had in the frontcourt.
Donovan Clingan is the obvious centerpiece there, and he backed that up with a five-block night in just 20 minutes against the Sacramento Kings. Even so, Williams’ role off the bench may be just as important in keeping the whole thing from wobbling.
Nori has already pointed to the luxury of being able to bring Williams in behind Clingan. There aren’t many teams that can swap one defensive anchor for another without a drop-off, and Portland looks like one of them.
That’s especially notable because Williams was finally relatively healthy and productive last season, appearing in 59 games - the second-highest total of his injury-marred career. The Blazers seem to understand how to manage him, including keeping him out of back-to-backs.
There was even legitimate doubt about whether Williams would still be in Portland this season. The team had already spent back-to-back first-round picks on centers in Clingan and Yang Hansen, which made his place on the roster harder to read. Preseason has already answered that question.
Williams remains a necessary piece. He gives Portland a bridge while Hansen develops, and he also lets Clingan rest without the defense crumbling. That would matter on any team, but it matters even more now with so many undersized, offense-first guards in the mix after the Morant trade and Lillard’s return.
Portland may have more talent than last season’s 42-win group, but the fit was always going to be the real test. Williams’ extension now looks like a sharp bit of business - good value, and a crucial counterweight to the team’s surprising move for Morant.
In Other News...
Former Blazer Sees Portland As A Real Threat Out West
Robin Lopez has never been shy about weighing in on the Western Conference, and his latest prediction puts the Portland Trail Blazers in an interesting spot. Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, the former Blazer sees the Los Angeles Lakers slipping to sixth in the West, with Portland finishing ahead of them as the leagues landscape keeps shifting.
Lopez pointed to the conference losing stars like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard while Portland has added big names in Damian Lillard and Ja Morant, giving the Blazers a much different ceiling than they had a year ago. The Lakers are expected to lean on Walker Kessler and more or less tread in place, which makes Portlands rise feel less like a hot take and more like a real part of the conversation if the roster comes together the way Lopez believes it can. [Read more 🡒]
Jrue Holiday Is Already Solving A Blazers Problem Fans Feared
The Trail Blazers entered preseason with a familiar roster concern, but the early returns have been encouraging in a place fans were already watching closely. Portlands backcourt has the look of a crowded room, yet Jrue Holidays versatility has helped the team manage it without forcing awkward compromises, giving the Blazers a cleaner path to sorting out minutes and roles as they get deeper into camp.
Joe Cronin has pointed to Holiday as a source of depth and flexibility, and that matters even more with the wing and forward spots feeling thinner after offseason departures and injuries. Shaedon Sharpes knee surgery only sharpened the need for cover elsewhere, so Holidays ability to steady multiple spots has already become one of the more useful developments in Portlands preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Final Tuneup Puts Two Key Pieces Under Pressure
The Trail Blazers get one last preseason look at the Warriors on Friday at 7 p.m., and it comes with a familiar measuring stick. Portland already beat Golden State once in exhibition play, but this final tuneup is less about the result and more about how the rotation pieces look as the regular season approaches. For a team trying to sharpen its identity, the closing preseason game is the last clean chance to sort out habits before the games start counting.
Jrue Holiday and Donovan Clingan have both given Portland plenty to like on the defensive end, where their impact has been clear throughout the preseason. The question is whether either can find more consistency from three-point range, an area that has come and gone so far and remains an important part of how the Blazers want to space the floor. With one more dress rehearsal left, that balance between defense and perimeter shooting is exactly what Portland will be watching. [Read more 🡒]