Forget the draft. Is there a ready-made solution for Portland’s woes?

As the 2024 NBA Trade and Free Agency season opens this summer, plenty of Portland Trail Blazers fans will be looking for a solution to their team’s issues. The Blazers have a couple of first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, one of which will be of the premium variety. This year’s draft class is supposed to be weak, however. A more ready-made solution might be preferable.

That provides the context for today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag question…

Hi Dave,

You’ve mentioned several times that they need to find that next star(s) through the draft and grow them. You’ve also referenced how quickly the Thunder have returned to contention in such a short time, generally following this pattern.

Well, the Thunder found [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] through a trade and then gave him the floor and allowed him to flourish. My question is, is there a young player out there on another roster that might be available that hasn’t had an opportunity yet because they are blocked by other players? Who could the Blazers get and give them the opportunity to become one of their next stars?

—Steve

We’re going to throw this open to readers, but I have a few suggestions first.

The most obvious one is a center named Deandre Ayton. He was drafted first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, subsequently spending five years with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 16.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game there, shooting 60% from the floor. His contributions were inconsistent, particularly on the defensive end, and he never quite caught the spark of stardom, though plenty of analysts looking at his physical gifts and skills projected him as franchise cornerstone. This season his stats and consistency remained essentially unchanged: 16.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 57% shooting. Some nights he looked like an All-Star, others like a non-factor.

Rookie point guard Scoot Henderson came out of the 2023 NBA Draft with enormous expectations, at times rivaling those of #1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. Henderson is a physical specimen and has plenty of drive. He shot only 38.5% from the field his rookie season, committed 3.4 turnovers per game (5.9 per 100 possessions), and looked lost against NBA competition. If a team could get him in a defined system that played to his strengths, he could probably grow. But a constant buffet of pick and rolls that leave him with a choice between shooting over the defense or passing into the teeth of only exacerbates his problems.

If you’re looking for scoring, shooting guard Anfernee Simons averaged 22.6 points this year, adding 5.5 assists to the mix. The jury is out on his point guard abilities, but he could be an exciting combo guard, an incredible Sixth Man, or just remain at the two and provide volume buckets. Heading into his sixth year, he’s ready to hit his prime and probably needs to be featured as a first option in order to reach peak production.

Finally, if risk and upside are your cup of tea, Shaedon Sharpe is an explosive wing whose early-career development has been hampered by injuries. He played 80 games in his rookie season but only 32 this year. His shooting percentage plummeted from 47.2% to 40.6%, which is a concern. The three-point shot is not there, but he did show defensive improvement in his second season, differentiating him from every player we’ve mentioned prior. Sharpe’s explosiveness makes him the best candidate of the four to break out into true stardom, but he’s also the farthest away from consistently contributing.

Having gone through the list, a few things become apparent:

1. The Blazers already have several players fitting the “young, break-out star” mold.
2. If anything, they might want to get better at actually developing same before adding more. It’s like a bakery with four types of flour already claiming it needs a fifth. Hey, how about we just make some doughnuts?
3. That said, none of them are the kind of guaranteed, turnkey-ready superstar the team needs. They might get there, or the Blazers might get their SGA candidate, but the clearest way to resolve and rally around a course forward is to draft a player whose talent, and effect on the league, is undeniable.

Let’s honor the spirit of the original question, though. Blazer’s Edge Readers, what are your suggestions for attainable young stars who might help turn the franchise around? Share them in the comment section below and enjoy the conversation!