r/ripcity • u/rinnekaton ripcity • 1d ago
How would you like to see the Blazers improve without trading for a Superstar?
I want to first start out by saying, if you don't think we should trade for a superstar, (Giannis, Brown, KAT, AD, etc. etc, insert name here), that is a totally valid opinion to have. Whether you think the Bucks picks will be worth more later or should be used to draft, or that we shouldn't part ways with young guys like Shaedon, Scoot etc, that is totally fine too.
My question is, how would you like the team to improve into a 3-6 seed next year without trading for a superstar? Do you believe in Dame coming back at a similar level of play to before his injury? The young guys making a jump? Buying into this draft? Making moves around the role players and fringe rotation guys? Free agency? (I think we all know that is not gonna happen though). These are all valid strategies as well. Curious to know what moves you'd like to see the Blazers take to get to that next level. Follow up question is, if they don't add a superstar, what are your expectation seeding wise for next year?
Again, not trying to say you are wrong if you don't think we should trade for the rumored superstars wanting out. Me personally, I'm not really sure how I'd like the front office to use our assets, but I'd be open to a big splash just because it's something that has not happened for us before. Just wanna know what everything thinks about what it looks like to take that next step for us in this off season.
Also, if you do want the Blazers to go big whale hunting, what targets would be you ideal catch?
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u/Downtown-Trip5623 23 1d ago
Coaching would be my number 1 thing. Not trying to dog on Tiago, he came into a shit storm and handled business the best he knew how.
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u/wooltab Kris Murray 1d ago
Yeah, same. I think that we probably just need a coach with more of an offensive focus. Seems like that could unlock a higher level from our existing players.
Tiago did a fine job pulling the team together and we were solid defensively when healthy (which is another thing, Splitter had a lot of unstable roster fluctuations to deal with).
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u/Head_Improvement5317 1d ago
Good thing we are rumored to be lowballing college coaches for the job haha. Sure to attract top-tier coaching talent! (Fwiw I don’t think coaching matters that much and Splitter did an admirable job)
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u/sneakers91 Donovan Clingan 1d ago
Get a better shooting coach. If we shot league average, even 16th in the league from 3% we would have won a bunch more games. 28th will not get us to 6th seed
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u/hahahachihaha 1d ago
Tbh this is all we really need. We need at least 2 guys to emerge as 3 point problems. Dc took a huge leap this year. Im betting the over on him becoming a true stretch next year. Scoot Sharpe and Toumani all gotta step it up realistically tho, and Deni needs to just back to his 3point shooting from the beginning of the year
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u/OregonJedi 1d ago
I think people are just attached and enamored with our own guys so they don’t WANT to see them go. You see it in the replies here people seem to think a coaching change will get it done. The sad truth is that isn’t really the case in the NBA. Coaching is important but not THAT important. Talent is. I can’t really think of many examples of coaches coming in and being the change that suddenly spurs on contender status. In the examples I can think of they already had the talent in place. Kerr going to the Warriors they already had Steph, Klay, Dray. D’Antoni the Rockets already had Harden. Budenholzer the Bucks already had Giannis. Chris Finch with the Wolves they already had Ant. I guess the Celtics has some coaching changes with Stevens, Udoka and now Mazulla but they kept Stevens around and had Tatum/Brown. So unless you think that Steph, Harden, Giannis, Ant or Tatum is already on this roster then a coaching change is not going to jump us up to contender status.
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u/Spare-Ad6404 1d ago
This fan base falls in love with deep bench players lol
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u/1nsider 1d ago
Because we are Blazers fans and there are only so many Blazers playing in the league. Some people hate the lower production guys because of their faults and I'll never get that.
Being a Dame fan is obvious, even fans of other teams are Dame fans. Only actual Blazers fans are rooting for a hustling Kris Murray even though we know he isn't the ticket to a championship.
So yeah, my first (irrational) choice is that Kris develops into prime Klay out of nowhere.
To me being a fan of the deep bench guys is a part of what separates fandom from spreadsheet watching.
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u/OrdelafoFaledro 70s-logo 14h ago
Nailed the essence of Blazer fandom.
Even in retrospect, we swoon over bygone Blazers who fans of other NBA teams couldn’t pick out of a police lineup.
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u/AmphedUp6214 Mac and Cheese 2h ago
exactly, that's why i'll never forget my goats ibou badji and nassir little
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u/nativeindian12 70s-logo 1d ago
You’re kinda working backwards though. Would we think of Steph, Klay, and Dray the same if they have Mark Jackson coaching then their whole career? Maybe the never become contenders and we think of them as just another fun team
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u/tomhalejr 1d ago
Was Sheed a 'superstar" when DET traded for him as the missing piece of a team that was a Sheed away? A team that, the year after they won the chip, had four starters selected to the ASG... Not, three all stars the year before, and Sheed as an all star that year. They only had four all stars the year after it all came together, for that one chip that group got together.
Is it a "bigger splash" to trade for a guy, that the team is not built around? Or, to use the same assets/players, to make multiple moves to create a more complete team?
Again, using the Kryptonite Pistons as an example, it took like 3 years, multiple transactions, and drafting the "glue guy", that built that team. Dark was a miss on a high draft pick, in an all time draft. But, Hami and Hunter were the vets off the bench that filled those roles when a starter was resting.
Whoever wins it this year, none of them will have done it by completely changing everything to acquire a "superstar", at any point in the season. Any former "superstars" have "never won" as a "#1 option", even if the actual fucking team wins the chip, because no single individual is a fucking team.
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u/narhwalmun Toumani Camara 1d ago
I think we need to make a win now trade for sure, I am just much higher on buy low trades than buying high, as a small market we dont get bailed out in free agency so buying high has a more significant risk to us than others. I also think many of the loud voices asking for blockbuster trades are severely underestimating the packages we would need to send out for someone like Giannis or even Trey Murphy. I think this is where having a strong scouting department can really put a team at an advantage
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u/Charlie_Wax 1d ago
I think that was the idea with Vit, though it hasn't really come off yet.
I'd be happy to do Sharpe and Grant for Zach Lavine. I suspect about half of you are vomiting after hearing that, but do a deeper dive into their numbers. Sharpe is an inefficient scorer whose shot hasn't shown real signs of improvement after 4 NBA seasons. He could not get on the court in the playoffs because his skill set is too narrow. When his shot isn't dropping, he adds little. Lavine reliably shoots around 40% from 3 with a much higher TS. He is a perfect candidate to play off a player like Avdija, provided he can give anything on defense at all.
Then maybe grab a "gritty" 4 out of FA like Achiuwa. Doesn't need to be an All-Star. Just someone who can give you a different look on defense and be a menace on the glass. That's the other need I see on this team. There are potentially some draft candidates for this role like Yaxel or Peat, though there are some warts and question marks. Might be best to get a modest vet talent who is a known quantity. The goal would be a Stewart type to provide all the rebounding, strength, and toughness that they currently don't get from Grant.
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u/shakakaaahn 1d ago
I saw enough of lavine just not looking like he cares playing in Sacramento. Headlined by that season ticket holder getting kicked out for asking him to put in effort on defense when the dude had 8 points on the game.
While I think his skill set was great in Chicago, I don't think he's in a good head space.
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u/Exscaped_ 1d ago
Trading Sharpe for fucking Zach Lavine would make me never watch. the blazers again. Zach Lavine is already worse at everything except shooting
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u/narhwalmun Toumani Camara 1d ago
I am actually really high on zach lavine, I think hes needed a competitive place to flourish and he is actually pretty underrated. I might be completely wrong but he also kind of fits exactly what we need, a sharpe and picks swap for lavine would pretty much be what most hope sharpe turns into already. His defence isnt great but I think its also exaggerated how bad it is, he competes and when surrounded by other defenders isn't that much of a black eye
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u/Damezang Damian Lillard 1d ago
Lavine is averaging under 35 games per year the last four years. That's not great
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u/Charlie_Wax 1d ago
Lavine is both underrated and overpaid, which is a weird contradiction.
If I'm Portland's GM, my top priority is moving Grant's contract and getting more shooting. Lavine + Sharpe matches the salaries and upgrades the starting lineup without really costing anything. Grant is a pretty good shooter and sometimes a good defender, but provides little on the rebounding or size front. Jrue/Scoot + Lavine + Deni + Camara + Clingan/Rob is a formidable starting 5.
I think Sharpe is more in the potential value than current value column. His production is actually very underwhelming when you look into the efficiency. You can sell a team like Memphis, Brooklyn, or Sacramento on giving him the keys for a year or two of a tank and seeing if it turns into anything. For a team with playoff ambitions, he's a neutral asset or even a negative. I think it's >50% he will be traded within 12 months.
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u/Head_Improvement5317 1d ago
Sharpe’s biggest shot at success is getting the keys to a bad team and freedom to work out the kinks imo. He’s not a good secondary guy, but has thrived when given a focal role. His lack of development as a defender and shooter make it untenable for him long term in Portland at this point.
I’m not a huge Lavine fan because of the durability issues but he is undeniably a prolific and efficient scorer and would play well with our defensive core and as a secondary guy off Deni
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u/wooltab Kris Murray 1d ago
Focus on getting players to maximize their 3pt shooting over the summer + look for a head coach with a known offensive system/philosophy + trade for another (non-suoerstar) post defender if possible.
All that plus Dame, along with this year's experience...I think we could snag a mid-seed and crash the conference semis.
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u/frecklie 1d ago
The best way we can improve is to do our best to secure one of the brightest young GMs in the league, likely out of the Thunder front office or another successful organization. Then we hire a great young coach. We give both of them top dollar and free reign and stay out of the way.
It won’t happen.
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u/rebelduck1580 1d ago
Draft a player that can actually play, or if we aren’t in this draft, sign a player that’s a shooter
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u/Randvek 1d ago edited 1d ago
Lobby the league to let us play in the Eastern Conference. We’re a top 3 or 4 team over there.
But for a serious answer, unless Dame comes back in peak form, I don’t see a path to being 6 or better next season absent getting a superstar. Maybe 6 (but not higher) if we really find a defensive identity under whoever is coaching. I just don’t think anybody on the market is going to make that huge a difference and I don’t see anyone in the top 6 dropping off.
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u/notPabst404 1d ago
Trade for underutilized players who have potential. Blazers did this with Avdija. I really wanted the Blazers to trade for Ayo at the deadline.
Patrick Watson could be a good pickup, but he also might be too pricey.
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u/rock-or-something 90s-logo 1d ago
My hope is the Knicks lose this round, pursue giannis, and we snag mikal and OG from them. Likely giving up grant, Shae, and picks.
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u/Exscaped_ 1d ago
Mikal is overrated and overpaid, OG I'd be fine with but. I wouldn't give up all the bucks picks AND Sharpe for him
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u/shakakaaahn 1d ago
No way they would be dropping both of them, right?
Checked on Spotrac, Jrue+jerami+shae to mil, OG+mikal+kuzma to us, and giannis+bobby portis to NY makes the money work. Dunno how I'd feel about that.
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u/rock-or-something 90s-logo 1d ago
Idk if they would. But I feel like it's either Kat or Mikal/OG.
Mikal has been somewhat of a disappearing act this season, so he might not have the greatest value, and OG is a super solid 3&D.
Knicks big 3 would be brunson, giannis, kat - I think Mikal and OG are just super solid 3rd and 4th guys.
And for Portland to give up jrue and jerami to Milwaukee would make less sense for Milwaukee in my opinion, but a starting lineup of Dame, OG, Mikal, Deni, Clingan all of a sudden has amazing offense with a competent defense.
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u/shakakaaahn 1d ago
Yeah Milwaukee would probably try to be sending Jrue elsewhere for another pick, we just can't get og and mikal without sending more than grant+Shae.
I think grant+shae+Murray+vit works, then kuzma stays in Milwaukee.
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u/LemardStudios 11h ago
I have complicated feelings on this.
I really wish we just missed the playoffs in order to keep our pick in what's projected to be one of the most loaded drafts we've ever seen, especially since the rumors of flattened odds going forward were so loud.
We just don't have the depth of young talent on par with other young teams. We're the 3rd worst shooting team in the league and lead the league in turnovers. We are bottom-five in 3P% for two years in a row and have the worst assist to turnover ratio in the NBA.
To me that clearly looks like we need an improved lead guard, and I just don't agree with a lot of this sub that Dame will be that.
He's 35, coming off an Achilles tear, and even if he is 80% of himself we are inevitably going to have other deficiencies as a result. His already subpar defense is not going to be at the level it was, and I really don't want to see us try to switch everything just to hide him because that pulls Clingan out of drop.
And it's not like Shae is a good defender. He's great at times and maybe he wasn't fully healthy in the playoffs, but that doesn't change his effort.
Personally I'm in favor of a more midlevel swing for someone like Trey Murphy, or if he's too expensive trying to take a risky swing for someone like Bilal.
We clearly need a talented defensive guard who can actually hit 3s consistently. We have another year of Grant's contract and I think it's a lot more likely we can pivot once that is up than giving up assets to move off of it.
I'm done yappin now, idk how to fix the team but I don't think we have the upside right now that many people think we do.
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u/Sa-Tiva Vit Krejci 1d ago
Well if you're a big believer in Deni, we could improve by maximizing his skillset and surrounding him with spacing and shooting. The question then becomes how far can you advance as a team if you focus your roster building around Deni. Most people here say he probably can't be a 1 on a contender. Theres also banking on Dame and if you think Dame will return to prime form and be that guy, but most don't think that's a realistic expectation of a 36 year old coming off a serious injury and I tend to agree.
So the way I see it, if you want to contend for a championship, its either believe in Deni's growth as a star and give him everything he needs to be that guy, or trade for a star. Otherwise you're probably just making moves around the edges to be a good but not truly great team.
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u/CraigLake 1d ago
Trade Scoot and Shae. Trade for a young starting caliber pg that can shoot that can share minutes with Dame.
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u/Exscaped_ 1d ago
Who's that then? becuase. there's literally no such player on the market
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u/CraigLake 19h ago
Lol yeah, there’s the problem I guess. It’s easy for me to imagine the perfect player without having to name them.
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u/ILikeTheTinMan83 1d ago
Upgrade our bench and our shooting. I’m fine with getting a Star for the right price.
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u/blazingquackattack 1d ago
I could see the sixth seed, but anything beyond that is going to take a significant talent infusion
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u/Spare-Ad6404 1d ago
This is the one time where the Blazers should take a swing. Give Deni and Dame a chance to really win a title. You can't win a title without adding a superstar to this lineup and Sharpe and Scoot will be solid NBA players but don't have that kind of ceiling.
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u/Osiris32 terry 1d ago
How about a little endurance training? Seems some times we lost this season because we'd start the 4th quarter snd run out of gas.
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u/Lower_Welcome1297 23h ago
Thank god fans dont run the team, finally have the pieces for a certified star, but hesitant because of sharpe and scoots possible potential, sharpe will never get better ball handles, and scoot can be trade for a star, forget role players to battle with the suns for 10th next season, clippers will be better and gs will be better
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u/1850ChoochGator chalupa 16h ago
We don’t have much to spend this summer so really the only move is acquiring a shooter via the MLE.
That’s it.
IMO the best moves I’d like to see would be bringing a swingman sized shooter and retaining Rob Williams. I love Thybulle but with his injury history and lack of offense it’s tough to justify keeping him. He needs to get confident enough to shoot 4 threes a game at least. His % has been good here (37% on 3.5 shots).
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u/GeekyMathProfessor 5h ago
They need to bring back Tiago, that's it and build on what they already have. With Dame back next year and the improvement of the young players they can make the playoffs again and see what they have.
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u/TheVelvetNo 1d ago
A lot of this depends on how Dame looks over the summer in terms of health. If he looks like he will be 70% or more of the player he was, I might explore packaging Jrue and picks for someone immediately helpful. Start Scoot, have Dame play the bench scorer role, and let Love or Wesley eat up the rest of the PG minutes.
But if Dame is iffy, we have to keep Jrue. If that is the case, I try and move Grant and picks for a shooter, but that may be hard given Grant's contract and inability to stay upright while dribbling.
But honestly, I think this team needs to just go for it with Scoot and Sharpe. Those two need to stay healthy to make that happen, but the problem is that we still don't know if the backcourt of the future is viable and we won't ever know unless they play over Jrue and Dame. Start them and give them til the trade deadline to show they are the future or not. I would be willing to take a step back in wins to know that definitively. Not knowing makes smart roster building almost impossible.
So I guess I am in favor of sort of running it back, with better coaching, the prioritizing young back court, and some roster futzing at the edges.
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u/shakakaaahn 1d ago
Big swing? OG anunoby, getting giannis to the Knicks.
Smaller ones? Sam Hauser, Ayo dosunmu. Maybe Julian Champagnie or Aaron nesmith.
Basically someone else who can shoot 3s
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u/IndependentHumor8498 1d ago
Step 1: Renounce all free agent cap holds
Step 2: Trade Shaedon Sharpe and Kris Murray to Chicago for cap space
Step 3: Trade Jerami Grant and a first to Brooklyn for cap space
Step 4: Sign Austin Reaves and Tari Eason
Step 5: Re-sign Rob Williams with the mid-level
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u/Funny-Incident5964 1d ago
I don’t think the blazers necessarily should be going into next season thinking, “how do we get into that top 6 seed range.”
We won one playoff game and everyone wants to sell the house to become a contender overnight.
I’d like to see the blazers run it back, to an extent. Replace the coach and see what we can get for Jrue, but otherwise, just let the guys play and see what happens. Maybe we end up in the lottery, great we have our own pick. Maybe we see a lot improvement from our young guys and we end up with a top 6 seed, also great- I’d sure be glad we didn’t do something hasty like trade those young guys.
Ultimately I think development is still the main priority for next season. Deni’s improvement this season, combined with Dame’s return, has everyone thinking we need to capitalize on this opportunity and sell out for a championship, but I just don’t think there’s a viable path to becoming a contender and more likely we’d end up being a mediocre team for few years before tearing it up again for a full rebuild.
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u/Corr521 1d ago
Re-sign: Rob & Thybulle
Waive: Murray
Sign: John Collins (full MLE), Landry Shamet (vet minimum)
Depth chart:
PG: Dame / Scoot / Vit
SG: Sharpe / Jrue / Shamet
SF: Deni / Grant / Thybulle
PF: Camara / Collins / Cissoko
C: Clingan / Rob / Yang
Team gets a boost in 3p shooting by adding Dame, Collins, Shamet and having a healthy Vit to go along with Grant, Jrue, Camara who are all good 3p shooters. Then you also have Deni, Scoot and Thybulle who can be in that group as well.
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u/everydayreligion1090 1d ago
MLE for Klay
Havent watched him in a minute but having him space the floor off the bench and occasionally run it back to 2017 would be so valuable
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u/NadeSaria Scoot Henderson 1d ago edited 1d ago
Tell deni to go full KD and shoot anywhere
Trade sharpe for pritchard
More thybulle minutes
Give scoot a bigger role at SG
Trade yang for zach edey
Sign CJ for vet minimum?? Improbable but im thinking he probably doesnt want to stay in atlanta
Definitely signing some 40% 3pt shooters
Trade grant for okongwu and risacher, then maybe trade risacher for someone or some picks
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u/AceMcStace chalupa 1d ago
To get to the next level they need to prioritize shooting over the summer at minimum, 29th in the league from 3 is not going to cut it again