The Portland Trail Blazers have probably completed their major roster moves heading into the 2025-26 regular season. Newcomers Jrue Holiday and Yang Hansen will join incumbents like Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Toumani Camara as the Blazers embark on a bold new stage of their regrowth.

The start of the season is still a month and a half away, leaving room for plenty of speculative topics. There’s one we run every year. It’s among my favorites. It goes like this.

If you could pick one former Blazers player from any era to join this team, who would it be?

The premise isn’t entirely loopy. Answers vary from year to year as the lineup changes. Responses reveal where people see the weak spots in the roster, also where they perceive valuable opportunities for interlocking synergy.

Past nominees–besides the obvious stars–have included Scottie Pippen, Jerome Kersey, and even the occasional mention of Rod Strickland and Andre Miller. The only rule as you make your selection is that, for the most part, we’re just counting a player’s Portland tenure as valid. You can’t get the Chicago Bulls version of Pippen, for instance, nor the Soviet Team’s Arvydas Sabonis. You have to take the player in the same condition they came to the franchise.

I usually have opinions on this one and this year is no different…though my player of choice is. This year the selection is clear as day to me. If I could transport one player in their prime Portland years to the current roster, it would be Rasheed Wallace. He brings everything the team needs: height, defense, scoring, and at least the threat of three-point shooting. (Unlike Sheed’s contemporary coaches, we would let him fire away from the arc.) He’s an underrated passer and a huge synergy/team guy on the floor…a star who won’t take away from other potential stars. He plays power forward but could also slide to center, where he just might start for the current Blazers. I can’t think of a single player who would have a greater impact while fitting perfectly into the lineup without major disruptions.

Sheed is my choice. Who will yours be? Share in the comments section and give us a justification for your selection. We might reveal more about our remembrance of history AND the perceptions of the current squad than we realize!