PORTLAND, OREGON - OCTOBER 07: Ja Morant #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes to the basket defended by Brandon Williams #12 of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of the preseason game at Moda Center on October 07, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) Getty
For the first time, Ja Morant and Damian Lillard shared a floor in Portland, and the Trail Blazers'strangest backcourt experiment finally got a real test. Lillard was back after missing all of 2025-26 with a torn Achilles. Morant was making his Portland debut after June's trade from Memphis. Portland beat a short-handed Golden State team 123-118, and the Morant/Lillard backcourt flashed enough in the preseason opener to make the questions around it far more interesting.
Lillard finished with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-8 from deep, plus two steals in 19 minutes. It was his first game since tearing his Achilles in the 2025 playoffs and his first in a Blazers uniform in nearly three and a half years. Morant added eight points and five assists, though he shot 3-of-8 and committed four turnovers. The rust showed, but so did the fit. Portland hit four of its first five threes, Lillard accounting for two, and finished with 25 transition points. One early sequence said it all: Morant collapsed the defense, Toumani Camara swung the ball, and Lillard buried an open triple. That's the whole promise on one possession, with Morant's downhill pressure feeding Lillard's range.
GettyPORTLAND, OREGON – OCTOBER 07: Ja Morant #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes to the basket defended by Brandon Williams #12 of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of the preseason game at Moda Center on October 07, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
First-year coach Micah Nori hasn't hidden his concerns. He told The Athletic's Jason Quick that starting two undersized guards who have never been elite defenders doesn't make sense, with Jrue Holiday the more logical partner for either one. Lillard, meanwhile, said "as far as I know" he and Morant would start, even though he hadn't discussed lineups with Nori. Nori started them anyway, alongside Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan, saying he wanted "to see what it looks like." The result settled nothing. Golden State had only nine available players, with no Stephen Curry or Draymond Green, and Portland still allowed 118 points. The Morant Lillard backcourt is a fun idea, but the defensive math hasn't changed.
There's a business angle too. Just before the opener, Heavy reported that, per Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, rival executives are watching whether Portland can rehabilitate Morant's value and flip him. That's a tall order. He has played only 79 games over the past three seasons and has two years and roughly $87 million left, according to ESPN , which makes a midseason deal difficult. A summer move looks more realistic. But a healthy, productive run beside Lillard changes the equation, giving Portland two options: keep an explosive dual-star backcourt or cash in on restored value later. The better Morant looks, the more he's worth to both sides.
Beyond Morant and Lillard sit Holiday and Scoot Henderson, who had nine points in the opener, with Shaedon Sharpe out until at least the All-Star break after knee surgery. Henderson's rookie-extension deadline is Oct. 19, and Heavy's trade coverage has flagged Holiday as the more realistic chip if the Morant Lillard backcourt holds up and Sharpe returns. Or the whole group simply works, and the front office waits for the market to force a decision.
One preseason game proved nothing about playoff basketball. It did prove Portland doesn't have to choose yet, and that flexibility is valuable. If this keeps clicking, Ja Morant just became one of the most fascinating names to watch when the trade market heats up.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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