Portland Trail Blazers need a bigger splash than Larry Nance Jr.

The Portland Trail Blazers have unfinished business in the offseason.

Entering the NBA offseason, I expected the Portland Trail Blazers to be one of the most active teams. With Damian Lillard trade demand rumors swirling, I expected that Portland would do everything in their power to make a big move this offseason.

At least thus far in the offseason, that simply hasn’t been the case. Unless, of course, you consider acquiring Larry Nance Jr. as part of a three-team trade as a big splash that will help this team take another step forward.

However, I’m not sure the fan base will see it that way. Neither will Lillard, which is the big problem that the Blazers have.

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On the surface, there’s really no knocking this move. Nance is a good player and is, in a vacuum, a better player than Derrick Jones Jr. He’ll help the Blazers and will have the occasional flash night. He’s a good defender, athletic as a rim-runner, and will fit right in with what the Blazers want to be.

He’s not a ball-dominant player and will benefit by playing next to Lillard. At the same time, he’s not a player that’s going to dramatically raise the team’s ceiling. He leaves much to be desired as a piece that will help the Blazers take a big step forward next season.

Is there another shoe to drop for the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason?

Especially with how much the rest of the Western Conference has progressed and improved over the last year and a half, you can’t help but wonder what the plan was exactly heading into the offseason for this team.

The Blazers have been far from a bad team over the last few years. Since Lillard has made his debut with Portland, the Blazers have only missed the playoffs once – during his rookie season.

They’ve made the second round three times and the Western Conference Finals once. This is a talented team that simply needs another piece or two to catapult them into true, definitive contender status.

For one reason or another, that one or two moves have continued to elude them.

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Perhaps they’re waiting for another shoe to drop (maybe Ben Simmons) and there’s still a big move that the team is eyeing before the start of the season. Although, if this is it for the Blazers heading into the season, their moves this summer have left a lot to be desired. And you can’t help but wonder if that will have any impact on Lillard’s timeline. I guess we’ll have to simply wait and see.

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