According to Trail Blazers beat reporter Casey Holdahl, Portland's opening night starters will be Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan. Chauncey Billups has finally made the switch that the vast majority of Blazers fans have been waiting for, bringing veteran Jerami Grant off the bench.
For fans, it wasn't just about not wanting Grant to start; it also had to do with the opportunity cost of Sharpe likely coming off the bench in order for that to happen. Following Scoot Henderson's hamstring tear, Billups was left with six viable options to start the 2025-26 season.