Portland Trail Blazers' retooled 2026-27 roster

The Portland Trail Blazers enter training camp this month as a franchise in transition, but not in the way that phrase usually implies. A new owner, a new coach and a headline-grabbing trade for Ja Morant have all landed on top of a roster that already reached the playoffs for the first time in five years, according to Oregonlive's Joe Freeman. Portland finished seventh in the Western Conference in 2025-2026, and the front office spent the offseason trying to turn that breakthrough into something bigger, culminating in a media day scheduled for September 28.

A crowded backcourt built around Morant's arrival

Portland's most consequential move of the summer came on June 29, 2026, when the Trail Blazers acquired Ja Morant (1.88m, 27 years old) from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, according to nba.com/blazers. The trade is also reported by Bleacher Report.

Morant played just 21 games in Memphis in 2025-2026, but the numbers still stand out: 18.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. Slotting him into a Portland backcourt that already includes Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday (1.93m, 36 years old) and Scoot Henderson (1.90m, 22 years old) creates an unusual problem for a rebuilding team — too much proven point guard talent for one rotation. Henderson, still just 22 and coming off a modest 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 62 games last season, now faces real questions about where his minutes come from behind three established veterans at his own position.

Projected starting five

Portland's coaching staff has already signaled how it plans to open the season. According to SI.com, "The Portland Trail Blazers are employing a new starting lineup for the upcoming season that will likely feature Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan. Blazers head coach Micah Nori can experiment with other players in the starting lineup..." That five-man unit was also outlined independently by Rip City Project, which wrote on July 3 that "Their two building blocks, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan, will start at the four and five, barring another trade."

That projection leaves two established veterans on the bench to open the year. Jrue Holiday, who appeared in 77 games last season, and Scoot Henderson, who played 62, are both part of Portland's roster but absent from the projected starting group — a sign of how deep the Trail Blazers' backcourt has become since the Morant trade.

Lillard's comeback carries no guarantees

No storyline looms larger over Portland's season than Damian Lillard's return. The 1.88m point guard, who turned 36 in July, missed the entire 2025-2026 campaign after tearing his left Achilles tendon while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Blazersedge. He rejoined the Trail Blazers but played 0 games in 2025-2026.

That leaves the Trail Blazers building their season around a franchise icon whose availability remains an open question. Adding Morant on top of that uncertainty gives Portland insurance at the position, but it also means training camp will have to sort out exactly how Lillard, Morant and Holiday share the floor once — and if — the longtime Portland guard is cleared to play.

The young core that already got Portland back to the postseason

Whatever happens with the veterans, Portland's path back to the playoffs last season was paved by a young group of players aged 22 to 26. Deni Avdija (2.06m, 25 years old), the small forward, averaged 19.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists across 88 NBA games. Toumani Camara (2.03m, 26 years old) contributed 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds as the team's power forward, while Shaedon Sharpe (1.98m, 23 years old) added 13.5 points per game at shooting guard.

Center Donovan Clingan (2.18m, 22 years old) rounded out the group with 11.2 points and 10.8 rebounds across 87 games, establishing himself as the interior anchor for a team that had not tasted playoff basketball in five years before last season.

Depth behind that group also solidified over the summer. Robert Williams III (2.06m, 28 years old) agreed to a contract extension to stay in Portland, according to Oregonlive.

Vit Krejčí (2.03m, 26 years old), a guard/forward, posted 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season. Portland projects him as a backup wing entering training camp. He is in the third year of a four-year, $10.2 million deal that is non-guaranteed before the season opener.

Micah Nori tasked with making it work

Running that experiment falls to Micah Nori, Portland's new head coach. SI.com identified Nori by name in citing the lineup Portland is expected to open with, noting that he "can experiment with other players in the starting lineup" once the season begins. With Lillard's health uncertain and Morant, Holiday and Henderson all occupying the same position, Nori's job is less about settling on a five than about managing rotations that could shift by the week.

A retool built on one gamble and one unknown

Portland's 2026-2027 roster is defined by contrasts. The Trail Blazers bet a package including Jerami Grant and Kris Murray on Ja Morant, adding a two-time All-Star to a backcourt already carrying Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. Damian Lillard's return remains unresolved after missing all of 2025-2026 to a torn Achilles, leaving Portland unable to count on its most decorated player until he actually takes the floor. What the Trail Blazers do have is a young core — Avdija, Camara, Clingan and Sharpe — that already delivered a playoff berth for the first time in five years. Micah Nori now inherits the job of blending that group with Morant and Lillard's uncertain timeline, all while a media day on September 28 turns offseason questions into training camp answers.