POR Trail Blazers

Sports promoter and Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new expansion teams, the other to be located in Los Angeles. When the Memorial Coliseum was opened in 1960 Glickman saw the potential it could serve as a professional basketball venue but it was not until February 6, 1970, that the NBA board of governors granted him the rights to a franchise in Portland. To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Robert Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle. Two weeks later, on February 24, team management held a contest to select the team's name and received more than 10,000 entries. The most popular choice was "Pioneers", but that name was excluded from consideration as it was already used by sports teams at Portland's Lewis & Clark College. The name "Trail Blazers" received 172 entries, and was ultimately selected by the judging panel, being revealed on March 13 in the halftime of a SuperSonics game at the Memorial Coliseum. Derived from the trail blazing activity by explorers making paths through forests, Glickman considered it a name that could "reflect both the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest and the start of a major league era in our state". Despite initial mixed response, the Trail Blazers name, often shortened to just "Blazers", became popular in Oregon. While not directly connected, the Portland Trail Blazers do bear the namesake of the Salem Trailblazers who played in the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League (PCPBL).^[]

Along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers), the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd. Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks led the team in its early years, and the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in its first six seasons of existence. During that span, the team had three head coaches (including future hall-of-famer Lenny Wilkens); team executive Stu Inman also served as coach. The team won the first pick in the NBA draft twice during that span. In 1972, the team drafted LaRue Martin with the number one pick.

In 1974 the team selected number one pick Bill Walton from UCLA. The ABA–NBA merger of 1976 saw those two rival leagues join forces. Four ABA teams joined the NBA; the remaining teams were dissolved and their players distributed among the remaining NBA squads in a dispersal draft. The Trail Blazers selected Maurice Lucas in the dispersal draft. That summer, they also hired Jack Ramsay as head coach.

The two moves, coupled with the team's stellar play, led Portland to several firsts: winning record (49–33), playoff appearance, and an NBA championship in 1977. Starting on April 5 of that year, the team began a sellout streak of 814 straight games—the longest in American major professional sports history—which did not end until 1995, after the team moved into a larger facility.

The team started the 1977–78 season with a 50–10 mark, and some predicted a dynasty in Portland. However, Bill Walton suffered a foot injury that ended his season and would plague him over the remainder of his career, and the team struggled to an 8–14 finish, going 58–24 overall. In the playoffs, Portland lost to the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978 conference semifinals. That summer, Walton demanded to be traded to a team of his choice (Clippers, Knicks, Warriors, or 76ers), because he was unhappy with his medical treatment in Portland. Walton was never traded, and he held out the entire 1978–79 season and left the team as a free agent thereafter. The team was further dismantled as Lucas left in 1980.

During the 1980s, the team was a consistent presence in the NBA postseason, failing to qualify for the playoffs only in 1982. However, they never advanced past the conference semifinals during the decade. The Pacific Division of the NBA was dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the decade, and only the Lakers and the Houston Rockets represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. Key players for the Blazers during the early 1980s included Mychal Thompson, Billy Ray Bates, Fat Lever, Darnell Valentine, Wayne Cooper, T. R. Dunn, Jim Paxson, and Calvin Natt.^[]

In the 1983 draft, the team selected University of Houston guard–forward Clyde Drexler with the 14th pick; "Clyde the Glide" would become the face of the franchise for over a decade, and the team's second-most decorated player (after Walton). In the next year's draft, the Trail Blazers landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. After the Houston Rockets selected Drexler's college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon at No. 1, the Trail Blazers selected Kentucky center Sam Bowie. Drafting third, the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan. The selection of the injury-plagued Bowie over Jordan has been criticized as one of the worst draft picks in the history of American professional sports. That summer, the Blazers also made a controversial trade, sending Lever, Cooper, and Natt to the Denver Nuggets for high-scoring forward Kiki Vandeweghe. In the 1985 draft, the Blazers selected point guard Terry Porter with the last pick of the first round. Porter would go on to become one of the top point guards in the league, and the Blazers' all-time leader in assists.

However, the Blazers continued to struggle in the postseason, and in 1986, Ramsay was fired and replaced with Mike Schuler. Despite this, they were the only team to beat the Boston Celtics on the road that season. That following off-season, the team drafted two players from behind the Iron Curtain, Arvydas Sabonis and Dražen Petrović, and sent Thompson to the San Antonio Spurs for former Oregon State University star Steve Johnson. Johnson was a high-scoring forward-center who the team intended to pair with Bowie on the frontline. It was not to be, as Bowie broke his leg five games into the 1986–87 season, missing the next two and a half seasons. During Schuler's brief tenure, the Blazers failed to advance out of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

In 1988, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen purchased the Blazers for $70 million. At the time of the purchase, Allen, then 35, became the youngest team owner in the Big Four professional sports. His first season as owner was one marked by turmoil, as conflicts erupted over who should start at several positions. Both Vandeweghe and Johnson suffered injuries; they were replaced in the starting lineup by Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth. Several players, most notably Drexler, were accused of undermining Schuler. The team went 25–22 to open the 1988–89 season, and Schuler was fired. He was replaced on an interim basis with assistant coach Rick Adelman, and Vandeweghe was traded to the New York Knicks. Under Adelman, the team went 14–21 to finish the season, and barely qualified for the playoffs. That off-season, the team traded Sam Bowie (who had returned to the team to end the season) to the New Jersey Nets for forward Buck Williams, and Adelman was given the coaching job on a non-interim basis.

The addition of Williams, and the replacement of the defensively challenged Vandeweghe with the defensive-minded Kersey, turned the team from a poor defensive squad into a good one. Led by Drexler, the team reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, losing to the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Possibly inspired by the 1985 Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle", during the run-up to their 1990 Finals appearance, the Blazers recorded two songs: "Bust a Bucket" and "Rip City Rhapsody" (with music played and recorded by Josh Mellicker, "Rip City" being a reference to the city's nickname). The year in between their two finals appearances, the team posted a league-best 63–19 record before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals, including a heartbreaker in game 6 where, in the final seconds, Cliff Robinson dropped a pass while standing directly under the basket, and then, with a few seconds left, Terry Porter's desperation wide-open 20-footer bounced out. However, the team failed to win an NBA title, and failed to advance past the first round in 1993 and 1994. Adelman was fired after the 1994 season, and replaced with P. J. Carlesimo, which led to the resignation of executive vice-president Geoff Petrie, a close friend of Adelman's.

In July 1994, the Trail Blazers announced the hiring of a new team president, former Seattle SuperSonics general manager Bob Whitsitt. Whitsitt, known as "Trader Bob" for his penchant for engaging player-exchange transactions, immediately set about revamping the Blazers roster; this included dismantling the aging Drexler-led team that had twice been to the finals. Drexler requested to be traded to a contender, and the Trail Blazers traded him to the Houston Rockets. In the fall of 1995, the team left the Memorial Coliseum for a new home, the 20,000-seat Rose Garden Arena. The sellout streak ended in the new building.

Several players left in free agency, including Terry Porter (1995), Buck Williams (1996), and Clifford Robinson (1997). Meanwhile, Trail Blazer management decided to leave Jerome Kersey unprotected in the 1995 expansion draft.

In an effort to quickly rebuild the team's roster, they acquired several players who were highly talented but had negative reputations for off-court troubles. Isaiah Rider was traded to the team by the Minnesota Timberwolves for a draft pick, and was considered to be a problematic player due to his previous arrests for assault, gambling and marijuana possession. He was arrested for marijuana possession just two days before his expected debut with the Blazers. Rasheed Wallace, who had garnered a reputation as a hot-tempered player since college, was also acquired in a trade with the Washington Bullets. Point guard Kenny Anderson was signed as a free agent, and subsequently traded to the Toronto Raptors for Damon Stoudamire in February 1998; the Raptors traded Anderson to the Boston Celtics five days later, because he did not want to play in Canada for the 3 year old franchise. The team found success and eventually returned to the Western Conference finals in 1999 under head coach Mike Dunleavy. They beat the Phoenix Suns in the first round, sweeping them 3-0 and made history as it was the first time the Blazers had advanced from the first round since 1992. In the Semi-finals, they defeated the two-time defending Western Conference champions Utah Jazz with a 4–2 victory series. In the Western Conference Finals, they faced the San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, and were subsequently defeated in a 4–0 sweep.^[]

After the failed championship run, Whitsitt sent Rider, who was the leading scorer that season with 13.9 points per game, and guard Jim Jackson to the Atlanta Hawks for guard Steve Smith. In one of their biggest acquisitions yet, the team added six-time champion and seven-time All-Star Scottie Pippen from the Houston Rockets. In the 1999–2000 season, the team advanced to the Western Conference finals, where they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 3–1 in the opening round and the Utah Jazz 4–1 in the semifinals. They advanced to the conference finals where they faced a Los Angeles Lakers team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. In that series, the Trail Blazers lost 3 of the first 4 games but came back to win games 5 and 6, forcing a game 7. The Blazers had a 15-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but eventually lost their lead when the Lakers had a 25–4 run. The Trail Blazers lost game 7, 89–84 and the Lakers won the championship.

One of the most infamous periods in Trail Blazers history is the era of the "Jail Blazers." Though the team had experienced its fair share of controversy and issues in prior seasons, many consider the "Jail Blazers" saga starting during the 2000–2001 season. The team made a series of personnel moves in the 2000 and 2001 off-seasons that failed to produce success. Forward Jermaine O'Neal was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Dale Davis. Brian Grant signed with the Miami Heat, and was replaced with ex-Seattle forward Shawn Kemp. The team started off well and had a 12-game winning streak in February and March in the regular season. The team signed guard Rod Strickland mid-season to augment their point guard corps. The team finished as 6th seed in the Western Conference with a 49–33 record, which qualified them for the playoff finals for the 20th consecutive year. They were eliminated in the first round, losing 0–3 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some media outlets began to criticize the team, and questioned Whitsitt's decisions and position as manager. A popular criticism was that Whitsitt was attempting to win a championship title by assembling a roster of stars, without paying attention to team chemistry. Longtime NBA coach and analyst, Doug Collins, referred to Whitsitt as a "rotisserie-league manager". Fans were publicly disapproving of Whitsitt; one fan even attending a game with a banner reading "Trade Whitsitt" that they displayed in the crowd before eventually getting ejected from the venue. Tensions continued to rise within the franchise and media outlets started reporting on the teams internal personnel issues and the criminal activity that players were involved in. Mainstream media began referring to the team as "The Jail Blazers" because of all these problems.

That off-season, Dunleavy was fired and replaced with Maurice Cheeks, who was considered a "players' coach" because he was a former player in the NBA. The hiring of Cheeks was thought to be a positive decision as many believed he would relate more to the players than Dunleavy did. Cheeks brought on Dan Panaggio as assistant coach after a failed courtship with Henry Bibby of Southern California. More transactions followed as the Blazers traded Steve Smith to the Spurs for Derek Anderson, but issues began when Shawn Kemp checked himself into a rehab for cocaine use in April 2001. That same season, Whitsitt made one of his most controversial moves in signing free agent Ruben Patterson, who had previously pleaded no contest to a felony sexual assault charge and was required to register as a sex offender. In 2002, police responded to a security alarm alert at Damon Stoudamire's house, though no intruders were there. After smelling marijuana in the home, they searched the premises and found a pound of cannabis located in a crawlspace; the search was later declared illegal and all charges were dropped. In 2003, several of the players, including Wallace, Stoudamire, and Qyntel Woods, were cited for marijuana possession. That same year, Wallace was suspended for seven games for threatening a referee - one of many incidents in his tumultuous relationship with NBA referees, which at the time stemmed from his belief that some of the referees were fixing the games against him and his teammates. Also during the 2003 season, Zach Randolph and Patterson got into an altercation in the locker room in which Patterson slammed Randolph onto the floor, an incident that later became known as the NBA's "The Slam Heard Around The World." The feud between players continued and they later got in a fight during practice, with Randolph sucker punching his teammate and fracturing Patterson's left eye socket, an injury which took Patterson out of their playoff run. Guard Bonzi Wells famously told Sports Illustrated in a 2002 interview: "We're not really going to worry about what the hell (the fans) think about us. They really don't matter to us. They can boo us everyday, but they're still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. That's why they're fans, and we're NBA players." Wells was fined $50,000 by the Blazers for the statement. Later in 2005, Woods pleaded guilty to first-degree animal abuse for staging dog fights in his house, some involving his pit bull named Hollywood. Woods' dogs were confiscated, and Woods was given eighty hours of community service. He also agreed to donate $10,000 to the Oregon Humane Society.

In the summer of 2003, attendance to games was steadily declining alongside the team's reputation. With an exorbitant payroll, Whitsitt announced that he would leave the team to focus on Paul Allen's other franchise, the Seattle Seahawks.

To replace Whitsitt, the team hired two men at new positions. John Nash, a veteran NBA executive, was hired as general manager, and Steve Patterson as team president. The new management promised a focus on character while remaining playoff contenders; the team soon published a "25-Point Pledge" to fans. Troublesome players including Wells, Wallace, and Jeff McInnis were traded. However, the team failed to qualify for the 2004 NBA playoffs, ending a streak of 21 consecutive playoff appearances.

The following year in 2005, the team plummeted to a 27–55 record. The bankruptcy of the Oregon Arena corporation resulted in the Rose Garden becoming owned by a variety of investment firms. Cheeks was fired that season and replaced on an interim basis by director of player-personnel Kevin Pritchard. That summer the team hired Nate McMillan, who had coached the Sonics the prior season, as head coach and Pritchard returned to the front office.^[]

In the 2005–06 season, the Blazers posted a historic 21–61 record, the worst league record at the time. Attendance to games decreased, and the year was not free of player incidents. Players such as Miles, Patterson, Randolph, and Sebastian Telfair were involved in either on-court bickering or off-court legal incidents. Nash was fired at the end of the season, with Steve Patterson assuming the general manager role in addition to his duties as president. In addition, the team had a poor relationship with the management of the Rose Garden, frequently complaining of a "broken economic model". It was widely speculated by the end of the year that Paul Allen would sell the team, and the team was offered for sale that summer, with several groups expressing interest. However, Allen was willing to spend money and urged Pritchard to make draft-day trades. He subsequently took the team off the market.

In the 2006 NBA draft, the Blazers traded Viktor Khryapa and the draft rights for Tyrus Thomas to acquire LaMarcus Aldridge. They also traded for the sixth pick, which became Brandon Roy. In the spring of 2007, Steve Patterson resigned as team president, and Paul Allen repurchased the Rose Garden. On the court, the team finished with a 32–50 record, an 11-game improvement, and Roy was named the 2006–07 Rookie of the Year. That summer, Kevin Pritchard was promoted to general manager, and former Nike executive Larry Miller was hired as team president. The Blazers won the 2007 NBA draft lottery and selected Ohio State center Greg Oden with the No. 1 pick. Some speculated they might choose Kevin Durant instead; Durant was picked at No. 2 by the Seattle SuperSonics. Oden suffered a pre-season knee injury requiring microfracture surgery and missed the entire 2007–08 season. Oden's injury woes and Durant's success drew comparisons to the Blazers' selection of Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984.

Despite this, the Trail Blazers had a 13-game winning streak starting in early December, resulting in an NBA-best 13–2 record for the month. Nate McMillan won NBA Coach of the Month, and Roy earned NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks—the first Blazer to do so since Clyde Drexler in 1990–91. Roy was selected to the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, the first Blazer All-Star since Rasheed Wallace in 2001. The Blazers finished the season 41–41, their best record since 2003–04. Following the season, they became the only NBA team in the Pacific Northwest after the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City.

During the 2008–09 season, Greg Oden finally debuted, playing in 61 games. Portland also added international talent with Spanish swingman Rudy Fernández and French-native Nicolas Batum, who emerged as a skilled defensive forward. Roy made his second straight All-Star Game appearance, and Fernández competed in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend. Roy had a career-high 52 points against the Phoenix Suns and hit game-winning shots against the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. The Blazers clinched their first playoff berth since 2003 with a 54–28 record, their best since 2002–03, but lost in the first round to the Houston Rockets in six games.

In the 2009 off-season, the Blazers traded the No. 24 pick to Dallas for the No. 22 pick and selected Víctor Claver. They also picked Villanova forward Dante Cunningham, Jon Brockman, and guard Patrick Mills. Brockman was traded to the Kings for No. 31 pick Jeff Pendergraph. Free agent Channing Frye signed with Phoenix, and Sergio Rodríguez was traded to the Kings. The Blazers attempted to sign free agents Hedo Türkoğlu and Paul Millsap, but Türkoğlu signed with Toronto, and Utah matched the offer for Millsap. On July 24, the Blazers signed point guard Andre Miller.

Despite a winning record, the 2009–10 season was marred by injuries. Reserves Batum and Fernández started on the inactive list, and forward Travis Outlaw followed with a serious foot injury. Centers Oden and Joel Przybilla suffered season-ending knee injuries, while Roy and Aldridge played through various injuries. Head Coach Nate McMillan also ruptured his Achilles tendon during practice. To fill the void at center, the Blazers acquired Marcus Camby from the Clippers for Steve Blake and Outlaw. Despite these challenges, the Blazers finished 50–32, securing the 6th seed in the West. Roy underwent surgery for a torn meniscus but returned for Game 4 of the first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. However, the Blazers lost the series 4–2 to the Suns.

During the 2010 off-season, the Blazers' front office saw significant changes with Rich Cho becoming the new general manager, succeeding Kevin Pritchard. Cho became the first Asian-American GM in NBA history. On August 12, the Blazers signed two new assistant general managers, Bill Branch and Steve Rosenberry, replacing Tom Penn, who was released in March. The organization also made changes to McMillan's coaching staff, hiring Bernie Bickerstaff, Bob Ociepka, and Buck Williams.

Similar to the previous season, the 2010–11 season was plagued by injuries. Jeff Pendergraph and rookie guard Elliot Williams suffered knee injuries, sidelining them for the season. In November, Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee, ending his season. Brandon Roy also underwent double arthroscopic surgery on January 17, 2011, to repair both knees, casting doubt on his future. Days later, Marcus Camby had arthroscopic knee surgery.

Despite the injuries, the Blazers remained competitive, with LaMarcus Aldridge emerging as the focal point of the team. Wesley Matthews also proved his worth in Roy's absence. Believing the team could make a playoff run, Cho made a trade on February 24, 2011, sending Dante Cunningham, Joel Przybilla, and Sean Marks to the Charlotte Bobcats for former All-Star Gerald Wallace. The Blazers won 48 games, securing another playoff berth but were eliminated in the first round by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks in six games.

In the 2011 off-season, the Blazers released Cho, reportedly due to communication and "chemistry issues" with owner Paul Allen. Chad Buchanan took over as interim GM. Cho's dismissal was criticized as "illogical" by Sports Illustrated, though they noted that Allen had made many questionable moves during his tenure as owner.

On June 23, 2011, in the NBA draft, the Blazers selected guards Nolan Smith from Duke with the 21st pick and Jon Diebler from Ohio State with the 51st pick. On the same day, the Blazers made a three-team trade with the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks, sending Andre Miller to Denver and Rudy Fernández to Dallas, and acquiring Raymond Felton from Denver.

The 2011 NBA lockout halted transactions until early December, when the Blazers faced several setbacks: Brandon Roy announced his retirement due to chronic knee problems, Greg Oden had yet another knee setback, and LaMarcus Aldridge underwent heart surgery. Interim GM Chad Buchanan signed three free agents: Kurt Thomas, Jamal Crawford, and Craig Smith.

In the shortened 2011–12 season, the Blazers started 7–2 but quickly collapsed as starting point guard Raymond Felton and others struggled with McMillan's new running-style offense. Despite Aldridge making his first All-Star Game, the team remained inconsistent.

On March 15, 2012, the Blazers made several moves, trading Marcus Camby to Houston and Gerald Wallace to New Jersey for expiring contracts and draft picks. They also released Greg Oden and fired head coach Nate McMillan, naming Kaleb Canales as interim head coach. The team finished with a 28–38 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years.

At the 2012 NBA draft lottery on May 30, the Blazers secured the number 6 pick via the Brooklyn Nets and the number 11 pick due to their own record. Neil Olshey became the new GM in June, ending over a year of interim management.

On June 28, 2012, the Blazers selected Weber State guard Damian Lillard and University of Illinois center Meyers Leonard with the 6th and 11th picks overall, respectively. They also selected University of Memphis guard Will Barton with the 40th pick overall, and traded the rights of the 41st overall pick, University of Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor, to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations.

Headed by their new general manager Olshey, the Trail Blazers front office further made a few changes during July 2012. The Blazers signed their 30th pick from the 2006 draft, Joel Freeland, and their 22nd pick from the 2009 draft, Víctor Claver, as well as re-signing Hickson and Nicolas Batum. They also signed veteran point guard Ronnie Price to back up Lillard, who was selected as co-MVP of the 2012 Las Vegas Summer League. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Terry Stotts was hired as head coach on August 7, 2012.

Under the reins of Lillard, the Blazers played well into January 2013, posting a 20–15 record. On January 11, 2013, at home against the Miami Heat, Wesley Matthews made two consecutive three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help the Blazers secure a 92–90 victory. However, despite the Blazers remaining among the playoff contenders for most of the season, injuries to starters Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Matthews, as well as a losing streak of 13 games – the longest in the franchise's history – led to the 11th position in the West, with a 33–49 record. Averaging 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds, Lillard was unanimously named Rookie of the Year, joining Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, and Blake Griffin as the only unanimous selections in NBA history.

Going into the 2013 NBA draft, the Trail Blazers held four picks: the 10th pick in the first round and three second-round picks. The Blazers selected guard CJ McCollum out of Lehigh University with their 10th pick, and also selected center Jeff Withey from Kansas, power forward Grant Jerrett from Arizona, and Montenegrin big man Marko Todorović. In addition, Cal guard Allen Crabbe was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for two second-round picks, in the 2015 and 2016 drafts.

The Blazers finished the 2014 season with 21 more wins than the previous season, which amounted for the largest single-season improvement in franchise history. This included a period in November when they won 11 straight games, and 13–2 in the month overall, for which coach Terry Stotts took home Coach of the Month honors. On December 12, 2013, Aldridge scored 31 points and pulled down 25 rebounds in a home game against the Rockets, the first time a Trail Blazers' player recorded a 30-point, 25-rebound game. On December 14, 2013, the Blazers made a franchise-record 21 three-pointers against the Philadelphia 76ers. They tied the new record 19 days later against the Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the first NBA team to make 20 or more three-pointers in a game more than once in a season. Lillard was voted in as a reserve to his first All-Star game, joining Aldridge to represent Portland at the game. Portland finished 54–28, securing the fifth seed in the playoffs against the Rockets. The team also shot 81.5% at the free throw line, made 770 three-pointers, and started four players for all 82 regular season games, all franchise records.

The first-round series against the Rockets was a tight one, with three of the six games going to overtime. The Blazers fared well in the first two games despite not having home-court advantage, beating Houston 122–120 and 112–105 in Games 1 and 2 respectively, fueled by Aldridge's 46 points and 18 rebounds in game 1, and 43 points and three blocks in game 2. In the sixth game of the series with the Rockets threatening to force a game 7 back in Houston, down by two points with 0.9 seconds left in the game, Damian Lillard hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close out the series (the moment was later nicknamed "Rip City Revival", as Portland advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2000, where they lost to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in five games).

During the 2014 off-season, Olshey signed center Chris Kaman and two-time former Blazers' guard Steve Blake to bolster the bench. Expectations by sportswriters and analysts were high for the Trail Blazers going into the 2015 NBA season given their surprise success in 2013–14. The Blazers beat the reigning Northwest Division Champion Oklahoma City Thunder, 106–89, in their season opener at home on October 29, 2014. Like the season before, the Trail Blazers dominated the month of November, at one point winning nine straight games from November 9 to 26 before being defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies. Injuries, which had not been significant the previous season, started to inflict themselves on various players. Starting center Lopez fractured his right hand in a game against the Spurs on December 15, 2014, and missed the next 23 games. Initially, the Blazers were much unfazed, winning 129–119 in triple overtime against the Spurs on December 19, a game that saw Lillard and Aldridge combine for 75 points on 29 field goals; Lillard netted a career-high 43 points. Four days later, Lillard hit a three-pointer to tie the game and force overtime against the Thunder en route to 40 points and a 115–111 victory. Three Blazers went to New Orleans for the All Star Weekend: Matthews for the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, Lillard as a reserve to the All-Star Game, and Aldridge as a starter to the All-Star game.

More injuries appeared around the start of the new year, which caused Aldridge, Batum, and Joel Freeland to miss various amounts of time, but none greater than Wesley Matthews' season-ending Achilles tendon tear on March 5, 2015. Called "the heart and soul" of the team by Aldridge, Matthews was in the midst of a career year when the injury occurred. In the first half of the season, the Blazers had a record of 30–11, allowed opponents to score an average of 97.0 points, and held them to 29.7% shooting on three-pointers; in the second half, the Blazers regressed to a 21–20 record, allowed 100.2 points, and let opponents shoot 37.9% from three. The Blazers clinched a return trip to the playoffs on March 30, 2015, defeating the Phoenix Suns, 109–86. Finishing the season 51–31, they clinched their first Northwest Division title since 1999 but fell to the Grizzlies in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

In the 2015 NBA draft, the Blazers selected Arizona forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and subsequently traded him to the Brooklyn Nets along with Steve Blake for center Mason Plumlee and the 42nd pick, Pat Connaughton.

After losing four of their five starters at the end of the 2015–16 season, the Blazers won 44 games, were the 5th seed in the Western Conference, and beat the Clippers in six games in the first round, but were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in five games in the Conference Semifinals.

In May 2017, the team revealed their new logo, an update of the pinwheel design with a new wordmark. According to Chris McGowan, president and CEO of the Trail Blazers, "Together, we landed on subtle changes that provide a nod to our past while allowing us to modernize other aspects of our creative assets."

The 2017–18 season saw the Blazers finish with the third seed for the first time since the 1999–2000 season. On April 21, 2018, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New Orleans Pelicans in a 4–0 sweep.

In the 2018–19 season, the Blazers finished the regular season 53–29, giving them the third seed in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Trail Blazers defeated the favored Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, a series which included Damian Lillard's game winning, buzzer beating, 37-foot three-pointer in game 5, giving them their first playoff series win since 2016. In the second round of the playoffs, they faced the Denver Nuggets. The series included a 140–137 game 3 victory by the Blazers in the first quadruple-overtime game of the NBA playoffs since 1953. The Blazers eventually won the series in seven games and advanced to their first Conference Finals since 2000. In the Western Conference Finals, they faced the two-time defending champion, the Golden State Warriors. However, they lost the series in four games, and were swept.

Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Blazers were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season. They erupted to number 8 but, after winning a "play-in game" over Memphis, were eliminated by Lakers in five games in the first round. The NBA decided that, at the end of the regular season part of "The Bubble" in Orlando, if the ninth seed was within four games of the eighth seed, the two teams would play at least one game. If the eighth seed won (as the Blazers did), then the play-in was over. If the ninth seed won, then another "winner-take-all" game would be played for the eighth seed. The NBA adopted a version of the play-in, a "tournament", for the postseason following the 2020–2021 season, which the Blazers avoided by finishing sixth. That play-in tournament returned for the postseason after the 2021–2022 season.

On June 4, 2021, following a first-round loss in the 2021 NBA playoffs to the Denver Nuggets, the team and head coach Stotts mutually agreed to part ways. After moving on from coach Stotts, the team hired Chauncey Billups as the franchise's next head coach.

On February 8, 2022, in the midst of a losing season filled with injuries, the Blazers elected to trade CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans. Without McCollum in the lineup, there was an opportunity for Anfernee Simons to lead the Blazers offense. Simons play for the remainder of the season, earned him a multi-year extension.

On June 22, 2022, the Blazers received Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant in exchange for 2023 and 2025 draft picks.

On June 23, 2022, in the 2022 NBA draft, the Blazers selected guard Shaedon Sharpe out of the University of Kentucky and forward Jabari Walker from the University of Colorado with the 7th and 57th picks, respectively. In the 2022–23 regular season, the Blazers started well, and at one point were the top seed in the West, but then bit by bit slipped out of playoff contention. Lillard promptly requested a trade on July 1, and Portland began exploring options, though taking their time. General manager Joe Cronin was quoted as saying, "If it takes months, it takes months."

In the 2023 NBA draft, the Blazers selected guard Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick. Henderson was a standout from the NBA G league team, the NBA G League Ignite.

On September 27, 2023, the Blazers acquired All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, 2018 Draft first pick Deandre Ayton, and Toumani Camara as part of a trade that sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson to the Phoenix Suns. Additionally, the Blazers acquired a 2029 first-round draft pick, with the option to swap with the Bucks for the 2028 and 2030 first-round picks. Four days later, Holiday was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and two future first-round draft picks. Jerami Grant was also resigned to a 5-year, $160 Million contract. The Blazers had a poor year, missing the playoffs with a 21–61 record.

With the seventh selection of the 2024 NBA draft, the Blazers selected Donovan Clingan, a center from UConn. The same day, they acquired Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards in exchange for the 14th overall pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and 2028 and 2030 second-rounders.