The Portland Trail Blazers are headed for exciting times after overachieving last season despite not having Damian Lillard who sat out the whole 2025-26 season to fully recover from an ACL injury he suffered when he was still part of the Milwaukee Bucks.
They reached the playoffs and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. They did this despite losing their coach mid-season due to a gambling scandal.
They are about to get better because of many reasons. First, they were able to retain the core of the team that reached the postseasons. Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson continue to improve. Lillard is returning.
The biggest offseason move they had is trading for Ja Morant with the Memphis Grizzlies.
New Blazers coach Micah Nori thinks they got a good problem on their hand with a surplus of quality point guards. Aside from Morant and Lillard, they also got two-time champion Jrue Holiday.
Morant has been acclimating himself with Rip City. He previously said that the city has changed his lifestyle. As for his mindset moving forward, he thinks he is in a better place mentally now.
“I feel like over the years, I’ve grown a lot,” Morant told The Athletic’s Jason Quick. “You know, I learned a lot. My mindset changed. I go into things differently now. So, I just feel like I’m more mature. I’m just ready to work, y’all.”
Jan 23, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) looks on from the bench during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The dynamics between Lillard and Morant is one of the biggest questions Blazers have to answer. Looks like it is not going to be a problem.
Lillard is healthy again and in his latest workout video, he showed he can still be lethal from the long range.
The Blazers social media account posted Dame’s shooting drill and he amazingly made 1100 out of 1168 shots from the three-point line. Blazers fans as well as the casual thought it was an incredible record.
Nov 2, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) passes the ball against Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9), guard Josh Hart (11), and forward Drew Eubanks (24) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Morant thought the same and teased fans a little with four words.
“This is gonn be funnn,” he wrote in the comment on the Instagram story posted.
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