Portland Trail Blazers
1 Problem: The front office's refusal to embrace the rebuild
Over the last couple of years, there's not a team that has operated more oddly (at least for me) than the Portland Trail Blazers. After deciding to trade Damian Lillard, the Blazers have continued to refuse to make the complete pivot toward a rebuilding team. Whether it's intentional or not, it certainly seems as if the Blazers are forcefully deciding to not go all-in on a rebuild just yet. At this point, with just a few weeks before this year's NBA Trade Deadline, I do believe that has to change if the fortunes of this franchise are going to trend differently anytime soon.
Specifically speaking, I do believe that it's time for the Blazers to move on from the likes of Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton. Trading one of these players ahead of the deadline is going to be easier than trading both but at some point soon, the Blazers need to wave the white flag. Their refusal to do so over the last few months has been quite odd - especially considering that their established "young core" has left much to be desired thus far. It would be one thing if the Blazers could hang their hat on a young core that has been developing quickly, but that simply hasn't been the case for the team.
Sacramento Kings
1 Problem: Is there 1 more move that could salvage the build?
The Sacramento Kings have battled back of late and were recently on a five-game winning streak, but there are still a ton of questions about this team's future. Whether it will end up being true or not remains to be seen but it does feel as if this is a do-or-die second half of the season for the Kings coming up. As the NBA Trade Deadline quickly draws near, I can't help but wonder if there is one build-salvaging move that the front office can make. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure if that is the case.
Even after an active offseason, the Kings have continued to leave much to be desired so far this season. If Sacramento misses the playoffs entirely or gets bounced out in the Play-In Tournament or even in the first round of the playoffs without a good showing, I wouldn't be surprised for this front office to explore some big moves during the offseason. Does the front office have one last move that could end up saving their season?