Blazers offseason outlook: Portland has some options, but which path will it choose?

It was an interesting season for Portland, as the Blazers made it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 on the shoulders of an interesting mixture of youth and seasoned veterans.

Deni Avdija turned into an All-Star, Donovan Clingan began shooting 3s, Jrue Holiday turned back the clock, and Toumani Camara kept drawing offensive fouls.

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Times are promising in Portland, which only makes the fan base that much more curious as to what's next.

Will the Blazers accelerate their timeline with Damian Lillard coming back next season?

Or will they try to go younger and lean into the part of the core that remains more theoretical?

Hell, could they use the fact that they have Milwaukee's picks to make a play for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

The beauty is in the road ahead, even if we don't truly know where it leads.

2025-26 finish

Record: 42-40, 8th in the Western Conference. Eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the first round.

Highlight of the season

Unquestionably, the biggest highlight was the confirmation that Avdija was indeed a star level player. After finishing last year playing pretty well, questions lingered about the legitimacy of his improvements. Those questions were thoroughly silenced this season with his All-Star nod and line of 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.

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Players signed for next season

Jrue Holiday

Jerami Grant

Shaedon Sharpe

Toumani Camara

Scoot Henderson

Damian Lillard

Deni Avdija

Donovan Clingan

Kris Murray

Yang Hansen

Key free agents

Robert Williams (UFA)

Caleb Love (UFA)

Projected salary

$164,763,510

Draft picks

None

While the Blazers could use an exception, it remains to be seen if new owner Tom Dundon is interested in spending money. So far, he's tried to save as much as possible, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the organization's willingness to invest or spend.

Needs and goals

The Blazers are by no means stuck, but they do need to figure out which path to lean into. There's a young core that's good, not great, and the same can be said of the veterans. They could go all-in on someone, or they could trade into the draft and accumulate assets for the future. It would be great for Portland to keep the positive momentum going, but there are a lot of variables to its situation.