Ja Morant shakes up Blazers plans, Edwards cleared in Minnesota — Northwest roundup

The Northwest Division had a quiet day on the floor with no games on the schedule, but two playoff hopefuls still managed to shape the conversation: the Portland Trail Blazers with a high‑class backcourt dilemma, and the Minnesota Timberwolves with encouraging news on their franchise cornerstone.

Morant, Lillard and Avdija force tough choices in Portland

In Portland, Ja Morant’s arrival combined with Damian Lillard’s return has created a genuine starting lineup question. As outlined in prior coverage, the Trail Blazers are now seriously weighing whether their new star guard might be more valuable leading the bench unit than opening games in the starting five.

That debate is sharpened by Deni Avdija’s rise, as he has established himself as an offensive engine for the Blazers. His emergence is pushing the coaching staff to rethink roles and hierarchy among their primary playmakers. With Portland sitting at 0–0 like the rest of the division, the front office and staff have the luxury of using camp and preseason to test combinations before locking in a rotation that will define their identity once the regular season begins.

Edwards says knee issues are past, Wolves roll out full five

In Minnesota, the news is largely positive. Anthony Edwards said Saturday that the knee issues that bothered him last season are now behind him, removing a major question mark for the Timberwolves as they try to build on his ascent as their offensive focal point.

With that reassurance, Minnesota is preparing to deploy its full starting lineup in Monday’s preseason opener. In a Northwest Division where every team currently sits at 0–0, getting early reps with the complete first unit could give the Timberwolves a small edge in continuity once the real games start counting.