The story of the season thus far has been “What if?” for the Portland Trail Blazers. What if Jusuf Nurkic had been available from the start? What if Zach Collins and Rodney Hood didn’t have their seasons cut much too short? What if Portland didn’t give out those bad contracts in 2016? What if?
Next year provides our first opportunity to witness a Trail Blazers roster that’s rid itself of these lingering issues. Portland will be in the perfect situation next season with Nurkic on a team-friendly deal, most the team on rookie-scale deals, and Dame and CJ’s huge extensions not yet ready to kick in.