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Blazers Have ‘No Plans to Tank’ This Season

The Portland Trail Blazers will likely be buyers in this year’s trade market.

San Antonio Spurs v Portland Trail Blazers Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are going nowhere fast.

In order to steer the ship in the right direction, the team has to make a change. With the NBA Trade Deadline coming up on Feb. 9, the time is now to pull the trigger on such a move.

A year ago, with the Blazers struggling mightily, the team opted to focus on the draft and trade away some key pieces in order to improve in the draft.

The turnaround was quick in the offseason, trading for Jerami Grant and signing Gary Payton II, but the results aren’t there and the Blazers are in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight season.

However, according to Bleacher Report, there are no plans for a repeat of last season.

The struggling Portland Trail Blazers are intensely engrossed in improving the roster with the trade deadline approaching, and they are said to be listening to all overtures, league sources tell Bleacher Report.

The organization remains committed to being opportunistic and creative in trying to surround franchise star Damian Lillard with a roster capable of competing with the best.

There are no plans to tank this season, sources say.

With a revamped cast entering the 2022-23 season, the Trail Blazers had high hopes of making a deep postseason run. Portland (22-25) has lost 13 of its last 19 games, tumbling to 13th in the Western Conference standings.

Shooting, size and depth are areas of need. Portland is dead last in points off the bench (24.0 points).

Even though the Blazers sit at the bottom of the heap of the Western Conference playoff hopefuls, there is opportunity for a turnaround if things go right. The team sits just one game back of a spot in the play-in tournament and just four games back of the No. 4 seed in the West.