Expectations are muted for the 2024-25 Portland Trail Blazers season. Coming off of a 21-win campaign, Portland added first-round draft pick Donovan Clingan over the summer. They also made a mildly-interesting trade for Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija at the expense of veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Those two moves will change their 10-man rotation, but not enough to forecast success in a crowded NBA Western Conference.
Having gotten that out of the way, interesting subtexts abound. The Blazers are presumed to be in Year 2 of a rebuild after trading away franchise superstar Damian Lillard.