Preseason NBA Power Rankings: Philadelphia 76ers look like Eastern Elite

14. Portland Trail Blazers

Another summer, another season where the Portland Trail Blazers fail to land a third star to pair with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, at this point, it’s almost like clockwork.

With one of the tighter cap situations in the entire league after going wild in 2016’s free agency period, Portland’ GM Neil Olshey has tried his very best to remain competitive in a Western Conference that becomes more and more competitive with each passing season, but thanks to monster deals given out to players like Evan Turner (remember him?), Mo Harkless (another Sixers cast away), Meyers Leonard, that has been increasingly difficult to accomplish.

The Blazers have been so unsuccessful in the playoffs that rumors arose that Dame D.O.L.L.A. himself was interesting in taking his talents to LA to become the second coming of Kyrie Irving, but that move never quite materialized, even if it would have been a major move for all parties involved.

So, with roughly the same roster that was swept in the first round of the playoffs back this season, outside of a few young role players and Sauce Castillo himself Nik Stauskas, does Portland have a chance to actually make waves in the West? Eh.

Unless the team does decide to blow it up and make a move to free up cap space moving forward, it, unfortunately, looks like the Trail Blazers will meddle in mediocrity for the foreseeable future, burning out in the first round much like the pre-Process Sixers of yesteryear.