Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard thought the writing was on the wall when it came to his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Milwaukee Bucks star said on the Knuckleheads Podcast the Blazers' competitive cycle "ran its course." He seemingly cited Portland's decision not to trade the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft as the point when his and the franchise's priorities diverged.

That aligns with what most thought and what was reported leading up to Lillard's trade request.

The Blazers had little salary cap space with which to sign outside free agents, and the No. 3 pick was far and away their best trade asset along with Anfernee Simons. Portland basically attempted to have it both ways by re-signing Jerami Grant to a five-year, $160 million contract but then selecting Scoot Henderson rather than using its top-five selection on veteran help.

The Oregonian's Aaron Fentress reported on July 6 that "deals were offered that would have improved the team enough to please Lillard."

General manager Joe Cronin wanted to keep Portland competitive but refrained from going all in. He might be justified in valuing Henderson more than a short-term shot in the arm, and the absence of a trade leads one to believe the offers on the table weren't that great to begin with.

From Lillard's perspective, though, there was increasingly little reason to think the Blazers could meaningfully contend now or within the next few years. And at 33, his patience and loyalty will have been wearing thin.

Dame and the Blazers both got what they wanted in the end. The Bucks are the best team he's ever played on, while Cronin can lay the foundation for Portland's future thanks to trading the seven-time All-Star and then flipping Jrue Holiday.

The Portland Trail Blazers will have to wait a little longer to get Scoot Henderson back.

Henderson is expected to miss two more weeks with a bone bruise in his right ankle, according to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

Henderson sprained his ankle in a Nov. 1 win over the Detroit Pistons and has missed Portland's last three games.

The Trail Blazers selected Henderson third overall in the 2023 draft after he starred for the G League Ignite. The rookie entered the 2023-24 campaign with high expectations, but he got out to a rough start prior to injuring his ankle.

Through Portland's first five games, the 19-year-old averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 34.6 percent from the floor and an abysmal 9.5 percent from deep.

The Trail Blazers are off to a 3-5 start this year after trading star point guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks during the offseason.

In addition to Henderson, Portland is also missing Anfernee Simons, who is out for six weeks after undergoing thumb surgery, and Malcolm Brogdon, who suffered a hamstring strain in a loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Additionally, Robert Williams III is set to undergo season-ending knee surgery, only adding to the injury woes in Portland.

Skylar Mays has seen more playing time as a result, though the likes of Shaedon Sharpe, Deandre Ayton and Jerami Grant have been called upon to carry the scoring load.

The Trail Blazers will be back in action on Sunday against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

Williams is set to undergo season-ending right knee surgery after injuring his knee in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He is expected to be fully recovered by the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign.

Wojnarowski added that Williams sustained damage to his kneecap and ligaments.

The Trail Blazers acquired Williams from the Celtics in a deal that sent veteran point guard Jrue Holiday to Boston. According to Wojnarowski, Williams "had been a trade target of a number of teams who hoped that the Blazers would consider moving him before the February trade deadline."

Through six games this season, Williams averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 65.4 percent from the floor. He has emerged as one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, and his absence will surely be felt in Portland.

Williams was playing alongside Deandre Ayton, who the Blazers acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Damian Lillard deal. His absence opens up the opportunity for other players to see more playing time, including Toumani Camara and Jabari Walker.

Williams, who spent the first five seasons of his career in Boston, also tore the meniscus in his left knee in March 2022 that required surgery. He missed the start of the 2022-23 season after opting to undergo a second procedure on his left knee in September 2022.

Prior to that injury, Williams put together a breakout 2021-22 season that resulted in a Second-Team All-NBA defensive honor and coincided with Boston reaching the NBA Finals. He averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 61 games while shooting 73.6 percent from the floor.

With yet another injury derailing his season, Williams will aim to come back stronger in 2024-25.

The Trail Blazers are 13th in the Western Conference with a 3-5 record.

Portland Trail Blazers' center Robert Williams III is expected to undergo right knee surgery to repair an injury that he sustained Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Williams is facing potential season-ending surgery to repair bone and ligament damage. His doctors and agent are also discussing an option to clean the injury up that would keep him out 2-3 months.

Williams has played in six games in his first season with the Blazers, averaging 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Williams suffered the injury during the second half against the Grizzlies and was taken to the locker room. He was ruled out with just a few minutes remaining in the Blazers' loss.

One of the key pieces in the Jrue Holiday trade to the Boston Celtics, Williams was expected to provide some much-needed interior defense and rim protection to a young Portland squad that is trying to rebuild following the trade of franchise legend Damian Lillard in the offseason.

Williams and Malcolm Brogdon and two future first-round picks were sent from the Celtics to the Blazers in exchange for Holiday, who was flipped to Portland when Lillard got dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks.

It seemed like a pretty good haul for general manager Joe Cronin but the Williams' injury will be a big blow if he is out for the rest of the season. The All-Defensive team selection could have been a big trade chip for the organization if they wanted to keep loading up on draft capital.

Unfortunately, this isn't anything new for Williams, who has had an extensive injury history since entering the league in 2018. The former first-round pick has played in more than 52 games just once in his career, coming in the 2021-22 campaign.

He only played in 35 games last season for a Celtics squad that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging eight points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Portland Trail Blazers star Anfernee Simons will be sidelined for at last six weeks after undergoing successful right thumb surgery on Tuesday, the franchise announced.

Simons had to undergo surgery to fix a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb.

The 24-year-old injured his thumb in a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last week. He finished the game with 18 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals in just over 27 minutes.

The injury is a tough blow for the Trail Blazers as Simons was expected to shoulder much of the offensive load following the trade that sent superstar guard Damian Lillard from Portland to the Milwaukee Bucks.

With Simons sidelined, Shaedon Sharpe has started Portland's last three games, averaging 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in that span while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from deep.

"Shae just needs to go out there and play as hard as he can, be aggressive," Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups told reporters last week. "We want him aggressive on both sides of the ball, whether he's come off the bench or he's starting. His development, he came a long ways last year, this is Year Two, so obviously we expect more out of him."

Scoot Henderson, the 2023 No. 3 overall pick, will also be called upon to pick up the slack with Sharpe sidelined. Through four games, the rookie point guard is averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and just 5.6 percent from deep.

"I'm the point guard so I got to get everybody involved and do what I have to do on both ends of the floor," Henderson said last week. "I think for this team, losing Ant is one thing but I think, for Shae and us, we've just got to step it up, simple as that."

The Trail Blazers are 1-3 on the season, with their lone win coming against the Toronto Raptors. They'll be back in action on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons will miss four to six weeks after an upcoming surgical procedure on his right thumb.

The Blazers announced the news Friday.

Simons suffered a ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his thumb Wednesday during the Blazers' season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He exited the contest for the last time with just over five minutes remaining after recording 18 points and four assists.

The loss will be a significant blow for the Blazers, who expected Simons to take on a larger role this season in the absence of Damian Lillard.

Simons was originally listed as "questionable" for the Blazers' Friday contest against the Orlando Magic with what was originally identified as a "right thumb sprain."

That changed when a Thursday evening MRI identified the UCL tear, according to the Blazers.

A four-to-six week recovery timeline lines up with the projections for other thumb UCL tears suffered by NBA athletes. The Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo underwent surgery on the same injury in 2021. Adebayo ended up missing 22 games while recovering from the procedure.

On the outside, this timeline has Simons set to return in time for Game No. 20 on December 11 against the Clippers.

In Adebayo's absence, the Blazers are likely to offer more playing time to Shaedon Sharpe. The No. 7 pick became a starter for the Blazers at the tail end of his 2022-23 rookie season and led all bench players with 28 minutes of playing time during Wednesday's season-opening loss.

Fellow bench player Malcolm Brogdon, who led all Blazers players with 20 points Wednesday, could also see increased playing time in the coming weeks.

Simons was expected to provide production in the absence of seven-time All-Star Lillard, a task which will present a challenge for what will now be a relatively inexperienced backcourt. In addition to Sharpe, more pressure will be on rookie point guard Scoot Henderson in Simons' absence.

Malcolm Brogdon is a Portland Trail Blazer, but he nearly became a member of the Los Angeles Clippers this summer.

In fact, Brogdon told Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points that he was mentally prepared to team up with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the Clippers this summer after Jrue Holiday was moved to the Boston Celtics.

"Absolutely," Brogdon said. "Absolutely. You know, once Jrue [Holiday] was traded from Milwaukee, I knew Boston had a lot of interest in him and I figured Boston would have a good run at getting him because I was a guy that they were open to trading.

"I was a guy that's viewed as a good vet in the league and to teams. I have good value in the league. So a team like Portland could either keep me as a good vet or flip me. I knew that Boston would be in play to get [Jrue Holiday]. So I did start to mentally prepare to be here [in Los Angeles]."

The Boston Celtics initially included Brogdon in a three-team trade with the Clippers and Washington Wizards that was supposed to include Kristaps Porziņģis. However, the deal fell apart after the Clippers expressed concerns about Brogdon's health.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year suffered a partial tear in his right elbow tendon during the 2023 postseason, so it's no surprise the Clippers were skeptical about his health.

The Celtics eventually landed Porziņģis from the Wizards in a deal that sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, and they included Brogdon in a deal with the Trail Blazers to land Holiday after the Milwaukee Bucks sent him to Portland in the Damian Lillard deal.

The Clippers are still interested in acquiring Brogdon, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported on Oct. 13, so teaming up with Leonard and George hasn't been completely ruled out.

And after the 30-year-old dropped 20 points against L.A. in the season-opener, maybe they'll only be even more interested in his services.

Prior to landing with the Milwaukee Bucks, star point guard Damian Lillard made no secret of his desire for the Portland Trail Blazers to trade him to the Miami Heat.

However, Lillard told The Athletic's Sam Amick that he eventually realized that his relationship with the Blazers had deteriorated so much that his request was not going to be fulfilled.

"It was anything to go against what I would have wanted," Lillard said. "That part was irritating. Just based off how it was happening, I knew (it wouldn't be Miami)."

Lillard had given up on the idea of landing in Miami by late September. Per Amick, "The acrimony between his camp and Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin had reached a point of no return." Cronin had reportedly discontinued communications with Lillard's agent Aaron Goodwin in mid-September. When Lillard chose to rejoin the Blazers before training camp, that decision was "met with resistance" from Cronin.

The message was clear for the seven-time All-Star, and he knew it was time to move on.

"(The Blazers) hadn't talked to Miami," he said. "So once it started happening like that, then I started hearing about all these other random teams, I was like, 'I'm probably not going to Miami.' So I wasn't holding on to that too (much)."

Amick noted that Lillard then decided to get word to Milwaukee that he would be "excited about a possible partnership" with the franchise, which eventually led to the three-team trade that shipped him out of Portland.

Now, Lillard is paired with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one of the most dangerous duos in the league this season. The 33-year-old had been hoping to land with a team that would get him closer to winning his first NBA title, and the Bucks gave him his best chance to do just that.

Lillard and the Bucks will open their 2023-24 campaign on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Portland Trail Blazers are saying goodbye to Kevin Knox.

Portland is waiving Knox and signing former Phoenix Suns forward Ish Wainright off waivers, per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

Knox spent his first three-plus seasons with the New York Knicks, who selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. New York dealt Knox to the Atlanta Hawks in January 2022 as part of a trade that most notably brought wing Cam Reddish to the Knicks.

The Florida native averaged 3.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 30 games split between the Knicks and Hawks during the 2021-22 season.

Knox began the 2022-23 campaign with the Detroit Pistons, averaging 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 42 games before being traded to the Blazers in the four-team deal that sent Gary Payton II back to the Golden State Warriors.

The Kentucky product finished the 2022-23 season averaging 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 63 games while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Knox re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a one-year deal in September.

Wainright, meanwhile, spent the last two seasons with the Suns following a college career at Baylor. He played primarily off the bench and averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 60 games last season while shooting 37.0 percent from the floor and 32.9 percent from deep.

The Portland Trail Blazers see shades of a recent superstar point guard in 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson.

Trail Blazers assistant coach Scott Brooks compared Henderson to nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, saying Henderson has the capability of being "Westbrook 2.0."

Brooks said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

They're both extremely smart, tough, competitive and determined, Their will to prepare is just as great as their will to win. And that's rare. That's not even talking about the athleticism and the size for this position. But there are a lot of similarities that it's uncanny. I had Russell for eight years, since he was 20 years old. Scoot is 19, and he has Chauncey to really help him take him to another level. But there's a lot of similarities, a lot and competitive and serious and wants to get better and coachable. Everything you want as a young player he has, so you know that he's on the right path for greatness.

It's safe to say that Brooks knows what he is talking about when it comes to Westbrook, as he coached Westbrook with both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Washington Wizards. The comparison is obviously lofty but Portland certainly has high hopes for the top prospect.

Head coach Chauncey Billups said that he wants to give Henderson the support that he needed as a rookie and veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon hopes to be a "calming presence" for Henderson.

The rookie is set to make his debut Oct. 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers as the Trail Blazers enter the post-Damian Lillard era.