Robin Lopez has thrown a bold number out there for the Portland Trail Blazers, and it says plenty about how high the outside belief can be in this team.
As the Blazers prepare for the 2026-27 season, the former Portland center said he thinks they can finish fourth in the Western Conference, slotting behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs. Portland is coming off a No. 7 seed last season, so Lopez is clearly pushing well past the general expectation around the team.
"The West has gotten worse. LeBron James has departed.
He headed east. Kawhi Leonard, headed east.
The Warriors are no longer ascended. It's a youthful west, and this is a team that has Damian Lillard coming back...they picked up what seems like for a discount Ja Morant.
If he's in his right mindset, he's a top 5, top 10 player in the NBA paired with Damian Lillard," Lopez said.
That kind of confidence makes sense coming from someone who knows the franchise well. Lopez played for the Blazers from 2013 to 2015, and he is clearly bullish on Damian Lillard, who is back after missing last season while recovering from a torn Achilles.
Still, even with optimism building around Portland, jumping from a 42-win type season to the kind of total usually needed for the No. 4 seed is a steep climb. Around 50 wins would likely be required to grab homecourt advantage, and that is a big ask in one year.
The addition of Ja Morant raises the ceiling, but getting all the way to that level would still be a tough lift for a team making that size of jump in a single season. The Blazers are talking like a group ready to take the next step, and they believe they can build on what they showed last year.
If the rest of the West gets hit by injuries and Portland stays healthy, there is a path for the Blazers to make Lopez look smart. It would take a lot lining up just right, but that is the scenario that gives this team a chance to surprise people.
Portland opens the regular season on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT at the Moda Center, with the game airing on the Rip City Television Network and streaming on NBA League Pass.
In Other News...
Blazers Fans Just Got A Crucial Signal On The Teams Future
Tom Dundons first major public message as the Trail Blazers new owner landed exactly where many Portland fans wanted it to: keeping the franchise in the city remains the priority. That matters now because the team is in the middle of delicate talks over Moda Center renovations and a new lease, with both sides trying to line up the kind of long-term framework that can stabilize the franchises future.
The negotiations are tied to a nearly $600 million renovation plan that would require public financing, and the clock is already ticking toward a December deadline for state funding. Dundon has met with local legislators and business leaders as those conversations continue, and the focus has now shifted to whether a 20-year lease can be finalized to keep the Blazers in Portland for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Just Opened A Roster Question At Forward
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For now, the move leaves Portland with 17 players under contract, including 14 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts. It is the sort of housekeeping that can quietly shape the rest of the offseason, especially for a team still sorting out how the last spots on the roster fit together. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Head Into Opening Night With A Few Early Warning Signs
The preseason scoreboard in San Francisco offered a familiar sort of warning for Portland, even if it came before anything really counts. The Trail Blazers fell 128-118 to the Warriors, with Damian Lillard leading the way on 23 points and a perfect night at the line, but the larger story was how choppy the offense looked around him. Portland had trouble with its shooting and gave the ball away too often, while Golden State got an early edge from a bench group that was far more productive in the first half.
Stephen Curry finished with 20 points for the Warriors, and the matchup did what preseason games often do: it provided a glimpse of where the rough spots still are. For Portland, the concern is not just one loss in October, but the combination of cold shooting, loose possessions and second-unit imbalance that can become a problem once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]