Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers took an important step to ensuring Anfernee Simons remains with the team for the 2022-23 campaign.

Portland extended a qualifying offer that Spotrac noted is worth $5.8 million to the guard on Wednesday.

With this move, Portland will have the right to match any offer Simons receives from another team as a restricted free agent. Had the Trail Blazers chosen not to extend the qualifying offer, he would have been an unrestricted free agent available to the open market.

While players generally do not accept the qualifying offer outright, Simons has the option of agreeing to the one-year price and playing under it in Portland for 2022-23.

The Trail Blazers and Simons did not come to terms on a contract extension ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, with Jason Quick of The Athletic reporting the team wanted to see more consistency from the young playmaker. The 6'3" guard, who bypassed college, also believed he could improve his value under head coach Chauncey Billups.

The 2018 first-round pick likely did exactly that with career highs nearly across the board.

He was a secondary contributor during his first three seasons but in 2021-22 shot 40.5 percent from deep and averaged 17.3 points, 3.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 29.5 minutes per game. He assumed a larger role with Damian Lillard dealing with injury concerns and CJ McCollum being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, revealing his potential.

Simons said he wanted to remain in Portland in February, per Ben Pickman of Sports Illustrated, so it wouldn't be surprising if he and the team agreed to a deal this offseason.

There is plenty to like from the Trail Blazers perspective since he will be just 23 years old throughout the 2022-23 season and can be the secondary playmaker in the backcourt alongside Lillard.

Simons' ability to shoot from the outside also plays well in space when the six-time All-Star draws additional defensive attention, meaning his upward trajectory could continue even with a healthy Lillard handling the ball.

Even the act of extending the qualifying offer suggests Portland believes there is a role for him in 2022-23.

The NBA is coming back to Seattle.

Well, sort of.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to play a preseason game at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on Oct. 3, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

The NBA has not played a game in Seattle since the SuperSonics left and rebranded themselves as the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the game came to fruition after a talk with Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.

"Me and Chaunce were talking about it, just basically being able to spend more time as best friends," Lue said. "We were talking about Vegas, and then, I was like, yeah, I live in Vegas, so that's perfect.

“And then he said: 'Well, what about Seattle? Because it's close for us and both of our owners are there.' I was like, that's cool too because I haven't been to Seattle in a while."

Seattle has been often mentioned as a potential city for NBA expansion, though commissioner Adam Silver has maintained the league is not currently looking at adding teams.

"We are not discussing that at this time," Silver told reporters earlier this month. "As I've said before, at some point, this league will invariably expand, just not at this moment."

Las Vegas is seen as the other natural expansion market. LeBron James recently said he wants to be part of the ownership group that takes over a Las Vegas franchise.

While the NBA moved out of Seattle in large part due to a lack of support for a new arena, Climate Pledge Arena recently underwent a $1.1 billion redevelopment. The NHL's Seattle Kraken and the WNBA's Seattle Storm currently call the arena home.

The Portland Trail Blazers have fully guaranteed Josh Hart's $13 million contract for the 2022-23 season, according to Aaron J. Fentress of the Oregonian.

Hart entered Saturday's deadline with a non-guaranteed contract, and the Trail Blazers could have released him, which would have made him an unrestricted free agent.

Hart has a $13 million player option for the 2023-24 campaign, per Spotrac.

He started 13 games after coming over from the New Orleans Pelicans in the CJ McCollum trade on Feb. 8.

The 27-year-old averaged 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from three-point range. It marked a significant improvement from the 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists he averaged in 41 games with the Pelicans.

Hart spent the first two seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 130 games for the Purple and Gold.

The Blazers had a disappointing 2021-22 season, finishing 13th in the Western Conference with a 27-55 record.

With Hart locked up, Portland can focus on re-signing Jusuf Nurkic and restricted free agent Anfernee Simons. The Trail Blazers will also need to make additions if they hope to contend for a title with superstar Damian Lillard.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Colorado Buffaloes forward Jabari Walker in the second round with the 57th overall pick at the 2022 NBA draft.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Jabari Walker

Position: PF

Height: 6'8"

Pro Comparison: Patrick Williams

Scouting Report: After a slow start to the season, Walker came alive to showcase the shooting and face-up scoring that led to breakout expectations after his freshman season.

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Trail Blazers Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Shaedon Sharpe, SG: (rookie scale contract)

Jabari Walker, PF: (rookie scale contract)

Damian Lillard, PG: $44.1M (2025)

Jerami Grant, PF: $20M (2023)

Eric Bledsoe, PG: $17.5M (2023)

Josh Hart, SG: $12.6M (2024)

Justise Winslow, SF: $4M (2023)

Keon Johnson, SG: $3.1M (2025)

Nassir Little, SF: $2.7M (2023)

Didi Louzada, SF: $1.9M (2025)

Trendon Watford, SF: $1.5M (2025)

Greg Brown III, PF: $1.4M (2024)

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Free Agents

Joe Ingles, SF: UFA

Jusuf Nurkic, C: UFA

Anfernee Simons, SG: RFA

Ben McLemore, SF: UFA

CJ Elleby, SF: RFA

Elijah Hughes, SF: RFA

Keljin Blevins, SG: RFA

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After serving as a backup during his freshman year (7.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG), Walker took off in his sophomore campaign, starting all 33 of his appearances while averaging 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three.

That earned him first-team All-Pac-12 honors and helped him shoot up draft boards. He also impressed during the NBA combine and in the pre-draft process.

Great to see Colorado standout forward Jabari Walker workout earlier this week. The 19-year-old sophomore was outstanding over his last 10 games: 16.7 PTS and 10.8 REBS in just 30.2 MIN while shooting 48% from 2 and 45% from 3. Aggressive at 6-9 with a versatile scoring attack. pic.twitter.com/kCR8PbT7dp

— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) May 13, 2022

NBA Draft Combine Day 2 Stock Risers📈

- NC State duo: Terquavion Smith & Dereon Seabron both had their way - 17 pts each
- Christian Braun: Ultimate utility wing & impact (6 pts, 7 reb, 6 a, 4 stl)
- Aminu Mohammed was a menace, high motor
- Jabari Walker: modern perimeter F

— Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) May 19, 2022

There are some questions about how the 19-year-old will adjust to a role change at the next level, given he played the 4 in college but will likely be more of a wing in the NBA. But Portland is banking on Walker making that adjustment and rounding into a solid role player.

Bypassing college and the G League didn't affect Shaedon Sharpe's draft stock all that much, as the young wing was selected No. 7 overall in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers at this year's NBA draft.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Shaedon Sharpe

Position: SG

Height: 6'4"

Pro Comparison: Zach LaVine

Scouting Report: Despite not playing a minute of college basketball, Sharpe flashed top-five-pick potential in high school and AAU, fueled by effortless bounce and shooting range for a 6'4" guard. While it's difficult to gauge how well he reads the game, the combination of physical talent and skill appears too enticing for teams hoping to add a star-caliber prospect and perimeter firepower.

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Trail Blazers Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Shaedon Sharpe, SG (rookie scale contract)

Damian Lillard, PG: $44.1M (2025)

Jerami Grant, PF: $20M (2023)

Eric Bledsoe, PG: $17.5M (2023)

Josh Hart, SG: $12.6M (2024)

Justise Winslow, SF: $4M (2023)

Keon Johnson, SG: $3.1M (2025)

Nassir Little, SF: $2.7M (2023)

Didi Louzada, SF: $1.9M (2025)

Trendon Watford, SF: $1.5M (2025)

Greg Brown III, PF: $1.4M (2024)

Free Agents

Joe Ingles, SF: UFA

Jusuf Nurkic, C: UFA

Anfernee Simons, SG: RFA

Ben McLemore, SF: UFA

CJ Elleby, SF: RFA

Elijah Hughes, SF: RFA

Keljin Blevins, SG: RFA

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Sharpe's situation is a unique one. He graduated early from high school and enrolled at Kentucky in the spring semester this year, though he never appeared in a game for the Wildcats.

But because he turned 19 before the NBA draft and was a year removed from high school, he was eligible to be drafted. The question coming into the summer was whether he would choose to play for Kentucky next season or enter the NBA draft, where he was expected to be a lottery pick.

He chose the latter.

Sharpe was the No. 3 overall player in the Class of 2021 after reclassifying, per 247Sports' composite rankings, so there's no doubting his potential and upside. But he'll enter the NBA as one of the more unproven prospects, albeit with tantalizing upside.

The Detroit Pistons have traded forward Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers for a 2025 first-round pick (via Milwaukee) and other draft assets, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee is protected Nos. 1-4, sources said. Detroit sends Grant into a $21M trade exception, and Pistons now have $43 million in salary cap space for free agency.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2022

*Detroit gets back a 2025 second-round pick from Portland.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2022

The Pistons turned heads when they signed Grant to a three-year, $60 million contract. While a solid role player for the Denver Nuggets, many wondered whether he would provide enough on the court to justify a $20 million annual salary.

In general, Detroit had a dreadful 2020 offseason. The team's moves were panned at the time, and they didn't look any better as they finished last in the Eastern Conference at 20-52.

However, Grant was one of the franchise's few sources of excitement. He averaged 22.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 54 appearances.

His production didn't slip much this past year. He put up 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He missed a long stretch of time due to surgery on his right thumb to repair torn ligaments.

In general, Grant's efficiency has dipped a bit compared to his pre-Pistons run.

He shot 42.8 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc in 101 games with Detroit. Those numbers were 46.5 and 34.7 percent, respectively, prior to 2019-20. That's to be expected considering he had a 27.2 percent usage rate with the Pistons compared to 18.4 percent for his career, per Basketball Reference.

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reported in January 2021 that Grant left the Nuggets in part because he'd be allowed to have a bigger role on the floor. He has undoubtedly shown why he can be more than a secondary piece in the starting rotation or a super-sub off the bench.

That the Pistons are parting ways already says less about Grant and more about the state of the Pistons.

When Troy Weaver took over as general manager, he joined a franchise that just flipped Andre Drummond for pennies on the dollar and had a massive millstone on the payroll in the form of Blake Griffin's five-year, $171.1 million extension.

For years, the Pistons were stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity. The Drummond trade and the arrival of Weaver were signs that ownership was willing to execute a complete teardown.

Given his age, Grant could have fit into whatever Weaver has planned for the present and future. Whether the Pistons show meaningful improvement over the duration of his contract is another matter.

Detroit did get a boost by selecting Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick last summer. Cunningham is a foundational cornerstone, but the franchise's fortunes didn't shift overnight. The Pistons were 14th in the Eastern Conference at 23-59.

As much as their bet in Grant has paid off in terms of his individual numbers, he wasn't doing much to impact their record. Moving him now, when his trade value is likely at its apex, better aligns with Weaver's long-term blueprint.

To some degree, this trade symbolizes one of the Blazers' biggest problems during the Damian Lillard era.

In a vacuum, Grant should be an upgrade to Portland's frontcourt. His arrival is unlikely to significant improve the franchise's championship odds, though, unless other splashy moves are incoming.

General manager Joe Cronin inherited a difficult situation because the Blazers hit their ceiling under Terry Stotts before he was replaced by Chauncey Billups ahead of last season and didn't have much in the way of trade assets at their disposal, though they did reshape their roster with a number of deals ahead of the February trade deadline, including shipping C.J. McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Now, however, the Blazers have begun their retooling process around Lillard. Grant is a solid first step, especially since they didn't give up the No. 7 overall pick this year to get him.

The Atlanta Hawks could be looking to move up from No. 16 to get an impact player in the 2022 NBA draft.

According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, "discussions have occurred" with the Portland Trail Blazers to potentially acquire the No. 7 pick.

If the Hawks do move into the top 10, they could target G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels, who Kirschner called arguably the best perimeter defender in the draft. The Australia native averaged 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.9 steals in 14 G League starts last season.

Daniels could complement Hawks star Trae Young as a near opposite player on the court.

The prospect struggled as a shooter (25.5 percent from three-point range), but he has the size (6'6") and defensive ability to cover Young's weaknesses without taking away touches on the offensive end.

Atlanta could be aggressive in the June 23 draft as it tries to upgrade its roster after a disappointing season.

The Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, but they barely made the playoffs in 2022 through the play-in tournament. They lost to the Miami Heat in five games in the first round.

Young finished fourth in the NBA in scoring and third in assists per game while earning his second All-Star selection, but Atlanta clearly needs more help in order to take the next step toward contention.

The team is unlikely to find an impact player ready to contribute at 16, which could force the front office to either trade up or deal the pick for a proven commodity.

Portland, meanwhile, is coming off a brutal 27-55 season while missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Damian Lillard remained on the roster, but the team dealt most of its remaining talent including CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington.

Trading the No. 7 pick for more assets could help the Trail Blazers' long-term rebuild around Lillard.

The Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers are "widely expected" to consider dealing their respective draft lottery picks to make "win-now" moves, per longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein on Substack.

A rare NBA Draft rumble from your infamously draft-shy correspondent: Both Sacramento and Portland are widely expected to give serious consideration to trading the No. 4 and No. 7 overall picks, respectively, if they can concoct appealing win-now swaps. And now I’m told Washington is another top-10 team (drafting 10th overall) said to be weighing the same possibility.

The talk on the Blazers mirrors a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who spoke with an executive that believes Portland is in win-now mode.

"Rival NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype believe the Trail Blazers will dangle the No. 7 overall pick in trade talks for an immediate roster upgrade to maximize the prime of Damian Lillard, who was on hand for a workout with a projected lottery pick, AJ Griffin," Scotto wrote.

The Kings, who finished 30-52 last season, are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The Blazers, who ended 27-55 last year, made the postseason for eight straight years before missing out in 2021-22.

Ultimately, it's not hard to see why the Kings and Blazers want to make big moves.

For starters, the NBA draft has a clear top three of Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero. Presumably, the Kings and Blazers will be left out of getting any of those prospects, although some potentially great ones will go later in the lottery, such as guards Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe and forward AJ Griffin.

From the Kings' standpoint, they've been out of the playoffs for 16 years and appear desperate for a return trip. They made a splash move before the trade deadline by adding Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers, although they had to depart with a potential superstar in Tyrese Haliburton.

Still, Sacramento has a duo to work with in Sabonis and De'Andre Fox, and Davion Mitchell looks like a good pick as well.

From the Blazers' view, they need to maximize their window around superstar point guard Damian Lillard.

Portland made a seismic change to the roster around him by trading long-time backcourt running mate CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans, but the Blazers still have a potential star in Anfernee Simons. Josh Hart also fared well in limited time in Portland following the McCollum trade.

We'll see if the Kings and Blazers make any draft-related moves soon enough with the draft scheduled for Thursday, June 23 in Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center.

The Portland Trail Blazers missed the postseason for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign this past season and traded a number of veterans in the process, including CJ McCollum.

But the goal this offseason appears to be a quick rebuild around superstar point guard Damian Lillard.

According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, the Blazers are reportedly "exploring trades for veterans who can help Lillard lead the team back to the postseason." They've identified Washington's Bradley Beal and Chicago's Zach LaVine as "potential targets," per O'Connor.

The Blazers essentially have three avenues to acquire Beal:

• If Beal picks up his $36.4 million player option for next season, the Blazers would have to trade for him.
• If Beal opts out, the Blazers could either sign him outright (four years, $183.6 million) or agree to a sign-and-trade with Washington, assuming the Wizards will entertain that option. 

Similarly, the Blazers would either have to sign LaVine outright or agree to a sign-and-trade with the Bulls.

Beal, 28, averaged 23.2 points and 6.6 assists this past season, shooting 45.1 percent from the field and only 30.0 percent from three. It was a down year from Beal after he posted a career-best 31.3 points per game in the 2020-21 season, though a torn ligament in his left wrist cut his 2021-22 season short.

The Blazers won't be alone in their Beal interest. Before February's NBA trade deadline and Beal's injury, the Sixers reportedly "worked during the season on a potential trade" to land the Wizards star, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The Sixers acquired James Harden instead, though there has been buzz since that the team might look to land Beal this summer to pair with Joel Embiid and Harden.

Meanwhile, LaVine posted 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this past season with the Bulls, though he took somewhat of a back seat to DeMar DeRozan, who had a career year.

Both Beal and LaVine would be excellent running mates for Lillard, though it remains unclear if either player is looking for a change of scenery. They will be two of the biggest names in free agency this offseason, and the Blazers make sense as a potential suitor if they are open to changing teams.