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The Portland Trail Blazers will hope to make the most of Damian Lillard opting to stay with the franchise for the upcoming season.
Rumors suggested he could request a trade, but Lillard's recent Instagram post confirmed he isn't going anywhere. The Trail Blazers had an underwhelming offseason, though. They did not add any star talent to their roster.
On paper, they aren't looking as competitive as other powerhouses in the Western Conference. As things stand, they could be heading to the 2021-22 NBA season with the same starting lineup they fielded in the 2021 playoffs.
The biggest change they made was hiring Chauncey Billups as their new head coach. His first test in that role will come during the preseason.
On that note, here's a look at the Portland Trail Blazers' roster, key dates and pre-season schedule heading into the 2021-22 NBA season:
Portland Trail Blazers roster for 2021-22 NBA Season
The Portland Trail Blazers saw several role players leave this offseason. That includes veterans like Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter, among others. The Trail Blazers have brought in the likes of Larry Nance Jr., Ben McLemore and Tony Snell so far. Here's a look at their roster going into the new season:
The Portland Trail Blazers still have two roster spots to fill and one two-way spot left, as can be seen in the table above. They have four players signed up for training camp, including veterans Quinn Cook and Dennis Smith Jr.
The Trail Blazers need more depth at the five at the moment. Both Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller were injury-prone last year, and can't be relied on to play for large swathes. Moreover, they also need more scorers off the bench. Larry Nance Jr. is reliable in that department, but has struggled with injuries in the last few seasons.
Key dates for Portland Trail Blazers entering the 2021-22 NBA season
Media Day: September 27th, 2021 - Monday.
Training Camp Start Date: September 28th, 2021 - Tuesday.
Season Opener: Sacramento Kings vs Portland Trail Blazers (October 20th, 2021 - Wednesday, 10:00 PM ET).
Portland Trail Blazers preseason schedule and dates
The Portland Trail Blazers will begin their preseason against the Golden State Warriors on October 4th.
Trail Blazers fans will get an early glimpse of their team for the 2021-22 NBA season, as the match will be held at the Moda Center, the home arena of the franchise. Here's the full preseason schedule for the Blazers:
The Portland Trail Blazers have four scheduled preseason games, as mentioned above. The game against the Sacramento Kings will also be at the Moda Center. Their last two fixtures against the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors will be on the road. These games can also be viewed online via an NBA League Pass subscription.
The Portland Trail Blazers kickstart their main 2021-22 NBA campaign against the Sacramento Kings at home. The match will be televised locally on ROOT SPORTS. Fans can also view the game online via NBA League Pass. You may click here to check out the Trail Blazers' full schedule.
Also check out: Complete NBA Preseason TV Schedule for 2021
