Will Shaedon Sharpe and the Blazers take another leap in 2025-26? (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
Get Caught Up
2024-25 Record: 36-46 (12th in West, missed playoffs)
The Portland Trail Blazers found their stride down the stretch last season, turning a rebuilding year into a legitimate postseason push. Portland went 23-18 in the second half of the season, falling three games shy of the final SoFi Play-In Tournament spot.
The 15-win improvement from 2023-24 coincided with breakout seasons from Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija, the emergence of rookie center Donovan Clingan and a top-three defense over the final 41 games.
Portland is hoping the veteran additions it made in the offseason, plus another season of growth from its youth, will spark the team’s first playoff berth in four seasons.
Offseason
- Re-signing: Rayan Rupert (team option exercised), Matisse Thybulle (player option exercised)
- Additions: Jrue Holiday (trade), Damian Lillard (free agent), Blake Wesley (free agent)
- Draft: Yang Hansen (16th pick, acquired via trade)
- Departures: Deandre Ayton (buyout), Anfernee Simons (trade), Jabari Walker (free agent)
- Unsigned Free Agents: Dalano Banton
Portland finished last season with the third-youngest roster in the NBA, boasting an average age of 24.39. This summer, it balanced its youth with experience, trading Anfernee Simons to Boston for two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday and reuniting with Damian Lillard, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. While Lillard will miss the foreseeable future recovering from a torn Achilles, the two vets offer guidance to Portland’s young backcourt of Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.
In the frontcourt, Deandre Ayton’s departure opens the door for Clingan to take on a larger role after a strong finish to his rookie campaign. Hansen, a 7-footer from China who showed flashes of strong play in NBA 2K26 Summer League, adds low-post depth and intrigue.
What a game for Deni Avdija 💪
34 PTS | 9 REB | 2 STL | 4 3PM pic.twitter.com/poTHE03oDA
— NBA (@NBA) September 4, 2025
X-factor
Deni Avdija. He has quietly improved each season and in 2024-25, he put it all together.
After being acquired by Portland in a trade with Washington before the 2024-25 season, he posted career-highs in points (16.9), rebounds (7.3), assists (3.9) and steals (1.0) in his fifth season.
Avdija’s game isn’t flashy, but it is effective. He can defend multiple positions, facilitate in transition, score off the dribble and hit 3-pointers. Last season, he led Portland in offensive rating (113.6) and points per shot (1.44). Plus, he only got better as the season went on.
Over his final 16 games, he averaged 24.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists — a closing stretch matched only by Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Can he carry that momentum into 2025-26 and stake a claim as one of the league’s emerging stars?
> Watch Deni Avdija on NBA League Pass
One key question
Can Sharpe and Henderson turn flashes of brilliance into steady production? Much of Portland’s potential rests on that duo’s growth as the two former top-10 picks have the physical tools to develop into stars.
Sharpe, the No. 7 pick in 2022, leaped in Year 3, averaging a career-high 18.5 ppg, capped by three 30-point showings in his last five games. Henderson, the No. 3 pick in 2023, also flashed. After posting 14 ppg as a rookie, his scoring average dropped to 12.7 ppg as a sophomore, but he took fewer shots while shooting more efficiently from the field (41.9%) and from deep (35.4%). His 39-point outburst against Brooklyn offered a glimpse of just how dangerous a scorer he can be.
The pair of under-23 athletic guards won’t have to figure it out alone. Holiday provides stability and defensive toughness to the backcourt, while Lillard adds mentorship from the sidelines. Add in coach Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Fame point guard himself, and the support system is in place.
Fantasy Outlook from RotoWire
The team at RotoWire broke down the top fantasy options for each team in the West. Here’s how they broke down some of the best options from the Trail Blazers:
“The Blazers looked like they were going to be one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, but something changed in the second half. They went 23-18 over their final 41 games to end with a 36-46 record. What was really encouraging was to see young players like Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan take their games to another level. They’re still waiting to see that progression from Scoot Henderson, but he should gain some knowledge after the Damian Lillard (Achilles) acquisition. The best Blazer of all time isn’t expected to suit up this season, but getting him back on the roster shows just how high the ticker is pointing for this growing team.”
Key dates
- Preseason Opener: Oct. 8 at Warriors (10 ET, League Pass)
- Regular Season/Home Opener: Oct. 22 vs. Timberwolves (10 ET, League Pass)
- Emirates NBA Cup West Group C Play: Oct. 31 vs. Nuggets (10 ET, League Pass), Nov. 14 at Rockets (8 ET, League Pass), Nov. 21 at Warriors (10 ET, League Pass), Nov. 26 vs. Spurs (10 ET, League Pass)
What they’re saying
Jason Quick, The Athletic: “Signing an injured Damian Lillard healed fans’ wounded hearts. The surprise draft of Chinese center Yang Hansen at No. 16 has the look of a fun project, and the trade for aging Jrue Holiday and his $100-plus million contract is palatable if the Blazers were on the cusp of contending … but they are not. How Lillard fits into the Holiday-Scoot Henderson point guard rotation in 2026 is a big question, and so too is how soon Yang can contribute. But no question is bigger than the one left by the trade of Anfernee Simons to Boston: Do the Blazers have enough shooting?” (Read More)
