The Portland Trail Blazers had a surprising offseason, adding aging stars Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. It may not seem like it at first glance, but these were calculated moves by general manager Joe Cronin to free up opportunities in the backcourt for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Lillard suffered a brutal Achilles tear in Milwaukee's playoff loss to Indiana; he and the Blazers seem to be on the same page as far as taking an extremely patient rehab approach, given Lillard's age, the severity of the injury, and where the Blazers are in their rebuild. Additionally, Holiday is a significant downgrade in terms of offensive usage compared to the departed Anfernee Simons, especially at this point in Holiday's career.