Dame is coming back to Portland!!!

[zzaj]

NGL I often forget Brogdon even had a stint as a Blazer.

Ok... processing... but I see this. Blazers basically paid for an asset here. Dame gets to rehab here, and then get to use him for another trade asset? I'm sure this is a deal to move him to a contender when he's healthy... which if he's good he's worth a 1st round pick.

He's 35. Rehabbing a ruptured achilles - and he didn't play defense before. Has a 3 year contract with a no trade clause. 90% chance he just plays this out, spends time with his family, and retires an all-time Blazer great.

Ok... processing... but I see this. Blazers basically paid for an asset here. Dame gets to rehab here, and then get to use him for another trade asset? I'm sure this is a deal to move him to a contender when he's healthy... which if he's good he's worth a 1st round pick.

I think it's more likely they move Holiday if they can find a taker. Dame rides off into the sunset with PDX. Holiday supposedly doesn't want to be here and Dame does.

But I'm of the mind that he never _really_ wanted to leave.

He wanted the team to get better. Then instead of using the #3 pick in a trade to bring any help in, they drafted the potential point guard of the future. I would have done the same.

So a NTC and player option...can't really say I understand it from a team building standpoint. Just when it seems like your team is establishing an identity and direction you go and muck it up?

Everyone can have their opinion on Drexler being better (I agree), Walton being better (before my time and he trashed the franchise for a while after his short tenure), but Dame is legit top 3. Top 75 player of all-time. Huge fan draw. And actually wants to play for us. And signed for an MLE contract. I don't see how any of this mucks up anything.

The Jrue trade was weird. And paying Ayton $25M to go play with the Lakers was not ideal (but that did give the space to sign Dame). Simons and Ayton were off the books in one season. Were totally playable players. And now the Blazers have limited flexibility cap-wise as contracts expire. If Jrue was younger, sure. But we might be looking at a washed Jrue and washed Dame in 2 seasons.

The “Muck Up” is the Blazers are apparently leaning into a defense first philosophy, with a Top5 youngest team in the league. Additionally, Sharpe and Scoot are still wild cards—neither has proved the can be a bonafide NBA starter on a winning team. If everything goes well, and Scoot/Sharpe take nice jumps this coming year, who plays? I PROMISE you Chauncey has no intention of putting Lillard/Jrue on the bench.

[DusterBuster]

NGL I often forget Brogdon even had a stint as a Blazer.

Ok... processing... but I see this. Blazers basically paid for an asset here. Dame gets to rehab here, and then get to use him for another trade asset? I'm sure this is a deal to move him to a contender when he's healthy... which if he's good he's worth a 1st round pick.

He's 35. Rehabbing a ruptured achilles - and he didn't play defense before. Has a 3 year contract with a no trade clause. 90% chance he just plays this out, spends time with his family, and retires an all-time Blazer great.

I think it's more likely they move Holiday if they can find a taker. Dame rides off into the sunset with PDX. Holiday supposedly doesn't want to be here and Dame does.

But I'm of the mind that he never _really_ wanted to leave.

He wanted the team to get better. Then instead of using the #3 pick in a trade to bring any help in, they drafted the potential point guard of the future. I would have done the same.

So a NTC and player option...can't really say I understand it from a team building standpoint. Just when it seems like your team is establishing an identity and direction you go and muck it up?

Everyone can have their opinion on Drexler being better (I agree), Walton being better (before my time and he trashed the franchise for a while after his short tenure), but Dame is legit top 3. Top 75 player of all-time. Huge fan draw. And actually wants to play for us. And signed for an MLE contract. I don't see how any of this mucks up anything.

The Jrue trade was weird. And paying Ayton $25M to go play with the Lakers was not ideal (but that did give the space to sign Dame). Simons and Ayton were off the books in one season. Were totally playable players. And now the Blazers have limited flexibility cap-wise as contracts expire. If Jrue was younger, sure. But we might be looking at a washed Jrue and washed Dame in 2 seasons.

The “Muck Up” is the Blazers are apparently leaning into a defense first philosophy, with a Top5 youngest team in the league. Additionally, Sharpe and Scoot are still wild cards—neither has proved the can be a bonafide NBA starter on a winning team. If everything goes well, and Scoot/Sharpe take nice jumps this coming year, who plays? I PROMISE you Chauncey has no intention of putting Lillard/Jrue on the bench.

I guess I'm just not sweating it because the NBA seemingly more than ever is becoming a shorter and shorter change league. The days of being stuck with a roster for 4 years is kind of over because of the new CBA. Roster turnover is way higher in 1 to 2 year chunks.

Like, I wouldn't even be shocked if Jrue is traded by the deadline this year or next summer. We legit may never even see Dame and Jrue play together.

[Case2012]

I think Joe has a real shot at saving his job if he can flip Grant, Scoot, and Shaedon into a real win-now trade similar to what NY and INDY did with Siakam, Bridges, or OG. He has the pieces, he has the youth, and this team clearly wants to win. By trading for Jrue and bringing Dame back, he picked his lane.

You’d have to assume new ownership is going to clean house once the team is sold, right? So why not go all in for once in the last 25 years and try to build a real contender? If I’m Joe, I know I’ve got the best job in the world and I’m probably never going to get this shot again.

This roster had a top-5 defense over the back half of last season, and now you’ve removed your two worst defenders and added an All-Defense guy in Jrue. Dame will come back and give you the 25 a game we need, that’s who he is. Are we really going to count him out? He’s clearly finishing his career here.

Joe can still redeem himself to Portland, to Dame, and to the fans. He just has to do what he’s been promising for years, build a contender by pushing the chips in.

And from a franchise standpoint, it makes sense. Showcase Shaedon and Scoot early, then package them for a star.

I wanted to tank and build through the draft and we might still land in the lottery this year but this is where we are. If we want to win, we have to push the chips in because the team doesn’t make sense otherwise.

Who are some realistic players we could go after if Joe takes this route? Maybe not an All-Star, but a “Bane-type” move that fits next to Dame, Jrue, Camara, Deni, and Clingan?

[PDXKnight]

I think Joe has a real shot at saving his job if he can flip Grant, Scoot, and Shaedon into a real win-now trade similar to what NY and INDY did with Siakam, Bridges, or OG. He has the pieces, he has the youth, and this team clearly wants to win. By trading for Jrue and bringing Dame back, he picked his lane.

You’d have to assume new ownership is going to clean house once the team is sold, right? So why not go all in for once in the last 25 years and try to build a real contender? If I’m Joe, I know I’ve got the best job in the world and I’m probably never going to get this shot again.

This roster had a top-5 defense over the back half of last season, and now you’ve removed your two worst defenders and added an All-Defense guy in Jrue. Dame will come back and give you the 25 a game we need, that’s who he is. Are we really going to count him out? He’s clearly finishing his career here.

Joe can still redeem himself to Portland, to Dame, and to the fans. He just has to do what he’s been promising for years, build a contender by pushing the chips in.

And from a franchise standpoint, it makes sense. Showcase Shaedon and Scoot early, then package them for a star.

I wanted to tank and build through the draft and we might still land in the lottery this year but this is where we are. If we want to win, we have to push the chips in because the team doesn’t make sense otherwise.

Who are some realistic players we could go after if Joe takes this route? Maybe not an All-Star, but a “Bane-type” move that fits next to Dame, Jrue, Camara, Deni, and Clingan?

To me if we are gonna go all in for me its gotta be big or just stick with the younger guys. Im not saying its likely we could pull it off but someone like giannis or embeiid, maybe jaylen brown. Obviously if Jokic wants out you ask just to see

[DeBlazerRiddem]

You mentioned Siakam and I think he could be a great fit if Indy decides that with Haliburtons injury and Turner leaving they will have a rebuild year. I am not sure what package could lure them to swap Grant for Siakam as our picks are tied up with Chicago but maybe we can free that up somehow (Orlando pick?) to make an offer (obviously including one or both of scoot/Sharpe).

Or obviously Giannis would be the dream, but I'm not sure that happens without all that plus Deni, Camara and boat load of picks, which might be worth it but would make me sad.

Those are the guys I think would bring the perfect fit.

Mobley, JJJ, Bam, Wagner are probably out of reach and not the right fit to go all in on anyways but of that same caliber. J dub would be a great fit but was just reupped by OKC and isn't likely available for anything we could/would offer.

Lauri might be a lower cost option but count me as thinking the upgrade from Grant to him isn't worth the cost, they have similar flaws.

Zion is obviously the drunk gamblers option. Life is short but bubble wrap him until the playoffs and who knows. I don't recommend but it's an option.

[PDXKnight]

^I think deni is more movable for giannis, would love if we could keep Camara however possible. That defense would be intimidating with those 2 (camara/giannis) on the floor and clingan cleaning it up not to mention jrue thybulle and grant giving us some additional defensive reinforcement.

[Effigy]

Kind of funny that I never got around to getting a Dame jersey his whole time in Portland. A few months after the trade, the nba.com store had his Portland jersey on sale for a crazy discount. Like $20 or so. So I finally bought one. Seems like an especially good deal now

[Walton1one]

Trying to pivot to a "win now" team and banking on a 36yr old Jrue not regressing any further (and actually improving) and Dame coming off an achilles injury, also 36, is just the sort of stupid move that Cronin would do, and on reflection many years from now, will define the complete ineptitude of this pseudo ownership\Olshey-Cronin regime...

For as good as Dame is\was as an individual player, the fact is his 11(13) year tenure with this franchise will have resulted in over a decade of wasted time & a team that accomplished very little with him as their best player. Great individual player & a good guy, but his teams have never really accomplished anything meaningful so yeah, why not waste another 3 years?

It may end up not being the answer (or worse, hard bar to climb for that one though), but new ownership cannot come fast enough....

[DusterBuster]

Repost from the other Dame trade thread...

Some interesting timing on the Scoot angle and if the team has lost confidence... Zach Lowe just released his pod talking about the Dame deal a few minutes ago. He was one of the first to break the story, so he was very connect into this entire thing.

Zach said "Scoot Henderson was clued into what was happening to make sure he was cool with it". That to me doesn't sound like something a team who's lost confidence in a player does. Zach also said Scoot was "super enthusiastic about it and not threatened at all", so it sounds like he loves the idea of playing with and learning from Dame.

Zach continued "one person from the Blazers told me that now Scoot gets to learn from 1) one of the best offensive PG's of all time, 2) of of the best defensive PG's of all time, and 3) a HOF PG as his head coach".

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5VyZH7uri5EnQ0UEd3qWkd?si=97d95753165546b8

Some really good past stories from Zach about times he's covered the Blazers and Dame in the pod, good listen.

The pod also goes into the Blazers rotation topic too.

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

[DusterBuster]

If anyone wants to catch the presser live, it's here in 4min: https://www.nba.com/blazers/now

[DusterBuster]

A funny moment between Cronin and Lillard about a question for if the expectation of Dame skipping this season for a rehab year.

Dame said he wants to use this season like he's an assistant coach, so he's gonna be on the bench all year. Expects this year to be just like if he was playing and sounds genuine about being a mentor. Made a point to call out Scoot first of all the young guys who he wants to help.

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

Dame is clearly looking at his post-playing career some, so while we all say the "mentorship" thing is overrated, Dame seems pretty committed to actually do that part of the gig, especially with a year off.

[DusterBuster]

God Aaron Fintress asks questions in the worst way. For a reporter, he really needs to think about the way he phrases his questions better.

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

The audio guy for the presser needs to fix the audio. Media members louder than the franchise members talking.

[DusterBuster]

Dame sees the Blazers as a team that's getting better and creating a full team vs the old "aging out" 2-3 star teams.

He's basically insinuating that him signing in Portland isn't viewed as him not and just coming home, but thinking he's signing with an up and coming team like Houston last year.

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

[PDXKnight]

Dame sees the Blazers as a team that's getting better and creating a full team vs the old "aging out" 2-3 star teams.

He's basically insinuating that him signing in Portland isn't viewed as him not and just coming home, but thinking he's signing with an up and coming team like Houston last year.

He's certainly not wrong. Toumani is a defensive specialist now, deni is a baller, center position could be promising, and if one of Scoot or Sharpe breaks out offensively we could be in good shape.

[DusterBuster]

Dame sees the Blazers as a team that's getting better and creating a full team vs the old "aging out" 2-3 star teams.

He's basically insinuating that him signing in Portland isn't viewed as him not and just coming home, but thinking he's signing with an up and coming team like Houston last year.

He's certainly not wrong. Toumani is a defensive specialist now, deni is a baller, center position could be promising, and if one of Scoot or Sharpe breaks out offensively we could be in good shape.

I'm putting my line in the sand, I don't think Tou is just going to end up being a defensive specialist.

Scoot and Shae are the ultimate questionmarks. If either of those two put it together, this team can get back into the conversation of at least the Rockets-level teams. Under that Denver/OKC tier for right now...

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter