What is the next big move for the Portland Trail Blazers?
In a somewhat surprising fashion, the Portland Trail Blazers were one of the most pleasant surprises in the Western Conference this past season. While their pursuit of a Play-In Tournament spot fell short, it's hard not to be impressed with the improvements the team was able to make over the course of the season.
The Blazers went 23-18 since January 19, and made a respectable postseason run that ended up falling just a bit short. Nevertheless, there was a real progression that was seen from the Blazers from the first half of the year to the second. After the 15-game win improvement from last season to this year, the hope is that the Blazers have another developmental step to take in the next few months. If that does happen, it will put the Blazers in a position to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference next season.
But that won't come without some work this summer. The question is, what does Blazers general manager Joe Cronin have up his sleeve heading into the offseason?
According to a recent report, one potential move that may be next on deck for Cronin could revolve around making decisions on four players who will be entering the final year of their contracts. Those players are Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III, and Deandre Ayton.
The Portland Trail Blazers could have a truly busy offseason in front of them
Heading into the offseason, you'd have to imagine that Cronin is going to try to get ahead of each of their situations. Whether it's proactively trading one or two of those players who aren't considered a big part of the team's future, or perhaps trying to negotiate contract extensions before they hit the open market next summer. Either way, it's pretty clear that Cronin will have a busy summer ahead of him and that his moves will almost certainly begin with decisions on each of those players.
With the strides that the Blazers have made this season, it's going to be important for this front office to keep the momentum going. A big part of that will include finding the right players who deserve to remain on the roster and parting ways with those who are not part of this team's future.
If the Blazers don't want to lose any of these assets for nothing next offseason, trading them at some point in the next calendar year will be prudent. The question is, which players will Cronin elect to keep and which will he decide to part ways with? That's the big storyline of the offseason for the Blazers.