Forwards and finances loom large in Portland’s preseason.
Plenty of issues face the Portland Trail Blazers as they head through training camp in preparation for the 2025-26 season. As part of an article highlighting variables for all 30 NBA franchises, ESPN analyst Bobby Marks pointed out two key questions in Portland: the status of forward Jerami Grant and the future financial flexibility of the team.
Of Grant, Marks says:
With the emergence of Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, does Portland shift Jerami Grant to a sixth-man role?
Since he was acquired from Detroit in 2022, Grant has never come off the bench in Portland.
He played fewer than 50 games last season for only the second time in his career and shot below 40% for the first time since his rookie season. He also saw his point production decline from 21.0 to 14.4. Avdija averaged a career-high 16.9 points last season and started 54 games while Camara was named All-NBA second team defense last season. He had 11 games of three steals or more and started 78 games. Sharpe started 52 games last season and averaged 18.5 points.
Marks is also watching for potential extensions for two of Portland’s younger players:
The Jrue Holiday $34.8 million salary next season took a significant bite out of the Trail Blazers’ cap flexibility. Portland could still have room next season but only if Sharpe and Camara do not sign extensions.
Sharpe is eligible through Oct. 20 and Camara June 30.
Marks also reminds us that Halloween is the last day for the Blazers to pick up rookie-scale contract options on Donovan Clingan, Scoot Henderson, and Kris Murray.
Category: General Sports
