Over the last handful of months, the Portland Trail Blazers appeared to be cleaning house.
They let go of head coach Terry Stotts last summer, then during this season, they got rid of general manager Neil Olshey, replacing him with Joe Cronin, and they traded key players such as CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington.
Portland went 27-55 this season, ending a streak of eight straight playoff appearances.
It seemed clear that the organization was about to start over, and that it meant it was about to trade its franchise player, Damian Lillard.
But in recent days, it looks like perhaps the Blazers are going to give it one more try.
The Lillard Era Hasn’t Been Fruitful
Since joining the NBA for the 2012-13 campaign, Lillard quickly developed into one of the NBA’s best guards, thanks to his ability to score efficiently, hit 3-point shots, facilitate, hit the open man and connect on clutch shots.
When he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to knock off the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the first round of the 2014 playoffs, it appeared the Blazers had a bright future.
"LILLARD … GOOD!!"
Seven years ago, Damian Lillard sunk this buzzer-beater to knock the Rockets out of the first round 😤 pic.twitter.com/zOhShBvWsl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 2, 2021
However, they have had trouble getting over the hump.
Since then, they have gotten past the first round only twice, and they have made just one trip to the Western Conference Finals, where they got swept by the Golden State Warriors in 2019.
Lillard is about to turn 32, and he had a down season this year, shooting just 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from downtown.
His season was limited to 29 games due to abdominal surgery.
The frustration eventually got to Lillard, and fans wondered if either side would want to move on.
But the Blazers didn’t move him, and instead moved forward with their star.
Many around the league felt the Blazers’ best bet was to trade him and start over, but they have added a bit of talent recently.
Blazers May Not Be Done Yet
On Wednesday, a day before the NBA Draft, the Blazers acquired Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons for multiple draft picks.
Grant is a talented and athletic player who has been criticized a bit for not being the most efficient player, his lack of rebounding and his shot selection, but he is a very good player who can help Portland.
Grant averaged 19.2 points per game this season, and while his 42.6 percent accuracy from the field was poor, he shot a decent 35.8 percent from 3-point range.
Perhaps playing with Lillard, if he will indeed remain with the Blazers, will get Grant better and easier shots and raise his shooting efficiency.
At 6-foot-8, Grant is also an effective defender who can help make up for the departure of Covington, who was the team’s designated wing defender.
With the seventh pick in Thursday’s draft, Portland took 6-foot-6 guard Shaedon Sharpe, who is regarded as an explosive athlete with an elite wingspan, the ability to score at will and a solid jumper.
Welcome to Rip City Shaedon Sharpe!!!
— Rip City Project (@ripcityproject) June 24, 2022
Maybe fans of other teams should hold off on Photoshopping images of Lillard in their squad’s jersey for at least a little bit.
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