Blazers News: Pundits Heavily Criticize Joe Cronin Over Performance as Portland GM

The Blazers don't seem to have any definitive plan for the future.

Oct 25, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin greets center Donovan Clingan (23) before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers don't seem to have a definitive plan for the future. Looking at the roster that they have right now, it doesn't look like they know who they want to be.

Does this franchise want to be one that is hunting for a playoff spot in the next couple of seasons? Or are they going to commit to a full teardown and a rebuild?

Those are questions that Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin is in charge of answering. Since trading Damian Lillard away before last season, pundits thought they were going to pursue a full teardown.

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The Trail Blazers look like one of the worst-run organizations in the NBA right now. A lot of pundits agree with that sentiment.

Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux of the Dunc'd on Prime Podcast both had Cronin as their third-worst NBA executive of the year. They were both disappointed with what he's done in the last several months.

Both of them wish that Cronin would have moved Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons sooner when their values were at their peak. Neither player has as much value as they did a year ago.

Both of those players are still generating interest from other teams, but the Blazers aren't going to get as much in return for them as they would have if they moved on from them a year ago.

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Portland is going to be one of the teams who should be sellers at the trade deadline. The problem is whether or not they will be willing to part with players who can give them back the haul they need to firmly commit to a rebuild.

How the Trail Blazers act at this year's trade deadline will give us a much better idea of what their plans are for the next four or five years. How many players they decide to trade will give us an indication of who their core will be.

If the Blazers land the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, that would help expedite their rebuild in a major way. They certainly won't be making the playoffs this year, so that's where all of their hopes will lie.

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