Despite some external pressure to “blow it up,” the Portland Trail Blazers seem to have no intentions of doing so.
In an interview this week with Blazers courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam, general manager Neil Olshey discussed the team’s long-term plans.
“We’re keeping the core together, knowing Dame [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum] have at least 3 years left on their contracts,” he said. “And we give that group the best chance to win without impeding our ability long-term in terms of being into a number that’s completely non-liquid.”
The Blazers just re-signed center Jusuf Nurkic to a four-year, $48 million deal this summer. Meanwhile, Lillard and McCollum are each under contract through the 2020-21 season, as Olshey mentioned.
After winning 49 games last year but getting swept in the first round, Portland has faced calls for a roster shakeup. That makes a fair amount of sense for a team that has to hang with the likes of Golden State and Houston in the Western Conference despite being built around two undersized, score-first guards who are both below-average defenders.
Lillard, in particular, recently had to address concerns about his future with the Blazers. But regardless of all the noise, the team clearly feels that they have enough to stay competitive for several more years to come.
