The Portland Trail Blazers are heading toward the 2026-27 season with a roster that looks heavy on point guards and centers, and that imbalance has opened a real lane for Sidy Cissoko.
Portland has already reshaped its wing group in a big way. Jerami Grant and Kris Murray were sent out in the Ja Morant trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, and Matisse Thybulle left in free agency for the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead of replacing those bodies with more size on the perimeter, the Blazers added another big man by bringing in Jeremy Sochan on a non-guaranteed deal to battle Micah Potter for a roster spot.
Then came another hit: Shaedon Sharpe, Portland’s wing scorer off the bench, is expected to miss at least the next six months after tearing a meniscus during an offseason workout.
That leaves the Blazers thin where they can least afford it. Vit Krejci will need to shake off last season’s shooting slump if he’s going to become a reliable depth option behind Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija. But Cissoko also has a chance to step into a meaningful role and help cover the gap.
Portland’s offseason moves have taken away a chunk of its defensive identity. The team dealt away the more offense-first Morant but also lost quieter, useful pieces like Murray and Thybulle. The one thing the Blazers did manage to preserve was their interior presence, keeping Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III after reaching a three-year, $44 million deal to retain Time Lord.
That duo should still make life difficult around the rim. The problem is everything leading up to the paint. Without much perimeter versatility, Portland could be forced to absorb more shots from the outside and deal with cleaner looks than it wants.
The current projection has Morant starting in the backcourt next to Damian Lillard, a pairing that could produce wins and plenty of entertainment, even if the fit raises obvious questions. It also brings back an old familiar issue from Lillard’s first run in Portland: a team that couldn’t quite surround its star with enough of the right kind of support to fully cash in on the moment.
That’s where Cissoko comes in. Portland has had its share of offensive frustrations from role players like Murray, but the kind of player the Blazers need now is one who can help winning without needing the ball. Cissoko fits that mold because of his defensive versatility on the wing, which gives him the kind of scale teams can plug into different lineups.
He’s still only 22, so there’s plenty of development left. Even so, he has already made real progress since arriving in Portland, enough to go from a two-way contract to a standard deal. If he can take another step, especially as a three-point shooter, he could be looking at a breakout year.
Like Krejci, Cissoko is going to get a real shot to carve out a spot on the wing.
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CJ McCollum Revisited The Blazers What-If Fans Still Feel
CJ McCollums latest recollection of his Portland contract talks lands with the kind of hindsight that Blazers fans know all too well. Drafted 10th overall in 2013, he grew into a starter in the 2015-16 season and eventually earned Most Improved Player honors, turning himself into one of the franchises central figures before putting pen to paper on a major extension ahead of the 2019-20 season.
What makes the conversation linger, though, is how much it echoes the road Portland kept choosing at the time. McCollum was eventually dealt to New Orleans in the 2021-22 season as the Blazers doubled down on Damian Lillard, only for Lillard to later be gone after the 2022-23 season. McCollums contract story is another reminder of how close the team came to a different version of its core, and how many of those old decisions still hang over the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Shaedon Sharpe Suddenly Feels Caught In Portlands Biggest Roster Squeeze
The Blazers backcourt is starting to look like a crowded, complicated puzzle, and Shaedon Sharpe is suddenly one of the pieces that does not fit as cleanly as it once seemed. Portland still has not made a call on Scoot Hendersons rookie-scale extension situation before the 2026-27 season, and the front office is trying to sort out a roster that needs more shooting and defense while also figuring out which young guards are truly part of the long-term core.
Sharpes place in that mix is especially murky because of how his season has unfolded and what his injury timetable could mean for the teams plans. If he is not back until late winter, the Blazers may have to weigh a February trade deadline decision without seeing much of him in game action, and his role has already been uncertain after falling out of the rotation under two head coaches. For a team trying to balance development with upgrades, that leaves Sharpe in the middle of one of Portlands most pressing roster questions. [Read more 🡒]
Ja Morant Just Made Memphis Move Feel Even More Final
Ja Morants move to Portland already signaled a clean break from Memphis, but the latest off-court step makes that separation feel even more complete. After a difficult 2025-26 season with the Grizzlies, Morant has joined the Trail Blazers and is now preparing for the 2026-27 NBA season, with the basketball world already framing Portland as the place where he can start fresh and get back on track.
Former NBA players have openly talked up the idea of a comeback season for Morant in Portland, which only adds to the intrigue surrounding his next chapter. The bigger picture for the Trail Blazers is clear enough: they are not just getting a talented guard, they are getting a player whose next move has been watched closely since he left the city where he was drafted, and whose departure from Memphis now looks more final by the day. [Read more 🡒]