The Oregonian/OregonLive is taking a player-by-player look at the Portland Trail Blazers roster heading into the offseason, assessing their value both with Damian Lillard and without him in the event the superstar were traded to trigger a rebuild.
Prior posts: John Butler Jr.; Ibou Badji; Jeenathan Williams; Skylar Mays.
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Height, position, age: 6-foot-7, forward, 23.
Contract status: Knox just finished the first year of a two-year deal he signed with Detroit worth $6 million. The second season is not guaranteed.
2022-23 contributions: Knox came to Portland, along with five second-round picks, in the multi-team deal that sent Gary Payton II to Golden State and James Wiseman to Detroit from the Warriors.
Knox appeared in 21 games with four starts in Portland and at times looked pretty sold while averaging 8.5 points in 17.1 minutes per game. Over the final eight games – after the Blazers had given up on reaching the postseason – Knox saw 30 minutes per game and averaged 16 points per contest. He shot 42.9% from the floor and 30.6% on threes.
Fit with Lillard: Should Knox’s contract be picked up, he wouldn’t figure to be in the regular rotation on a team with postseason aspirations. But the ninth-overall pick in 2018 is still young and could ultimately develop.
Unless he demonstrates vast improvement this offseason, don’t expect Knox to be viewed as a piece to help Lillard reach his championship goals.
Rebuild fit: Should the Blazers begin a rebuild without Lillard, they could elect to keep Knox in what would likely be a season dedicated to playing young talent with an eye toward securing a lottery pick in 2024.
Trade value: Williams’ contract could be used to help match the salary of an incoming contract while providing the other team with a non-guaranteed contract it could terminate.
Likelihood to return: Possible. Knox would be a relatively cheap backup with some upside.
2023-24 outlook: Blazers coach Chauncey Billups praised Knox down the stretch of the season. Billups especially appreciated Knox’s ability to create offense after being closed out on while sizing up a three-point attempt. But he likely has little to no chance of becoming a rotational player next season. It’s more likely that his contract could be used to help provide salary matching in a larger deal to acquire an impact player.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts
