The Portland Trail Blazers aspire to accelerate their rebuild and continue building off their 15-win improvement from last season. That was apparent in their win-now trade for 35-year-old guard Jrue Holiday.
However, the other moves that Portland has made this offseason -- selecting Yang Hansen, reuniting with Damian Lillard, and signing Blake Wesley -- don't align with that timeline in attempting to win this upcoming season.
Blazers' win-now moves contradict Lillard's recovery timeline
Lillard tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on April 27. That's not much recovery time for an injury of that severity, meaning Lillard could sit out the entirety of the 2025-26 season.