3 Portland Trail Blazers who definitely won’t be back next season

1. Justise Winslow

Winslow was an extremely important piece for the Blazers early in the season, providing versatile defense and crucial complementary play-making around Lillard and Simons. He was averaging 6.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game when he went down with an ankle injury in late December, one that has kept him out of the lineup ever since.

The Blazers may have a tough decision to make on Winslow when his contract expires. They outscored opponents by an average of 7.9 points per 100 possessions when he played with Lillard and his versatile skill set made him a valuable connector at both ends of the floor. But his health is an open question and his glaring inability as a shooter — 31.1 percent on 3s with the Blazers, 31.5 percent for his career — is a weakness that would severely limit him in the playoffs, which is the ultimate goal.

Re-signing a healthy Winslow on an inexpensive deal could make sense for the Blazers, but they might get a lot more bang for their buck trying to sign someone like Will Barton or Troy Brown Jr., or simply counting on improvement from Sharpe and Cam Reddish to fill the need.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.