Trail Blazers Listed Among Western Conference’s Offseason Losers

The Trail Blazers’ quiet summer has received criticism from all angles. Portland will be trying to bounce back from a dismal playoff performance last season, and their 2018 offseason transactions haven’t inspired an abundance of hope.

Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post was the latest to analyze the Blazers’ offseason. Based on Portland’s lack of activity, Bontemps placed Portland in the “lean losers” category.

Ed Davis was let go, likely to allow for more minutes for last year’s first-round pick, Zach Collins. Seth Curry replaced Shabazz Napier. But the Blazers failed to address the same issue they’ve had for years now: a lack of depth on the wing.

The Blazers were joined by three other teams in the same category. Houston, Denver, and Minnesota all finished alongside Portland in Bontemps’ assessment. The only team listed under “clear losers” was the Sacramento Kings.

Portland finished with a regular season record of 49-33 in 2017-18. Despite clinching the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the Blazers failed to win a postseason game for the second year in a row.

You can read Bontemps’ full Western Conference breakdown by visiting The Washington Post.