Having finished their run through the 2026 NBA Playoffs this week, the Portland Trail Blazers now look ahead to the 2026 NBA Draft and the opening of free agency and trades this summer. The Blazers currently have no draft picks for the June festivities. Trades and signings will provide the most obvious avenue for improvement.
In the latest edition of The People’s Insider substack [subscription required] NBA writer Jake Fischer spent about a thousand words talking about the Trail Blazers’ future. The bulk
of it concentrated on one name: Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Here’s part of what Fischer relayed:
Remember we reported back on Jan. 31 that Portland was among the teams that registered trade interest in Antetokounmpo when the Bucks briefly invited rival teams to make offers for their Face of the Franchise before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
The Blazers indeed still control Milwaukee’s first-round draft capital in 2028, 2029 and 2030 as stipulated by the Damian Lillard trade. Which is a reality that positioned Portland, then and now, to potentially benefit from an eventual Antetokounmpo deal as a facilitating team in a larger trade structure, perhaps profiting by Milwaukee’s presumed desire to try to re-acquire one of those picks.
Yet sources have insisted this week that the Blazers are as interested in actually trying to land Antetokounmpo for themselves as other frequently mentioned suitors such as Miami, Minnesota, Golden State and New York.
I’m also told that Portland engaged in trade talks with Milwaukee as recently as the Tuesday before the league’s annual in-season trade deadline (which always falls on a Thursday) before various interested teams finally conceded that the Bucks were not truly willing to part with Antetokounmpo even as they were already spiraling to a 32-50 finish.
Sources say Portland has been looking to build competitive trade packages around Jerami Grant’s contract, which is valued at $34.2 million next season before a $36.4 million player option in 2027-28. Be advised, though, that Antetokounmpo’s salary for next season is $58.5 million and thus requires many more matching dollars.
Fischer points out that, besides making the initial trade balance by NBA salary cap rules, convincing Antetokounmpo to agree to a long-term deal in Portland could be a significant challenge.
But that’s not the only huge name-drop in the piece. Fischer also claims that Portland’s back-up plan for Antetokounmpo is none other than Washington Wizards center Anthony Davis. Davis got traded to the Wizards from the Dallas Mavericks last season, then sat out the rest of the year with a finger injury.
Sources say that the Blazers also contacted Dallas during the season to gauge the Mavericks’ interest in a Grant-centric package sweetened with draft capital in exchange for Anthony Davis. Rather than trade for a player with 2 1/2 pricy seasons remaining on his contract at that point, Dallas shipped Davis to Washington in a deal that featured a modest return in terms of future draft picks but swiftly removed three burdensome contracts (Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardy) from the Mavericks’ payroll...
…I’ve heard that same trade sentiment floating around the league ahead of potential contract extension talks this summer and I’ve likewise been advised by sources close to the situation to regard Portland as a potential Davis suitor should it fall short in its Antetokounmpo pursuit.
Fischer also affirmed other points which have been known in wider circulation:
- The Blazers are looking for the right fit if they spend money on a veteran
- That does not include a short-term, swing-for-the-fences gamble
- The Blazers do expect Damian Lillard to return to active play next season
- Portland may be active in listening to trade rumors for guard Jrue Holiday
That’s a huge, huge set of rumors and analysis to start the Summer of 2026 with in Portland. Welcome to the offseason, Blazers fans.
