Trail Blazers 2023-24 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds, Record Predictions

The Portland Trail Blazers are embarking on a new era after point guard Damian Lillard, a seven-time All-NBA player, requested a trade (specifically to the Miami Heat) after 11 mostly prosperous seasons in Portland that included eight postseason appearances and a 2019 Western Conference Finals berth. As of Thursday, he still remains a member of the team, but it's inevitable that he'll eventually be playing elsewhere.

Losing a superstar like Lillard, who averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game, is certainly going to hurt this team as the Blazers embark on a new era.

But the future does look bright in Portland thanks to a talented young core now led by Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft. Others such as Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons and Kris Murray dot a roster where no player will be 30 years or older.

Now the Blazers' schedule has dropped alongside the rest of the NBA. Here's a look at the schedule, alongside the latest championship odds, notes on future matchups and a quick season outlook and record prediction.

2023-24 Trail Blazers Schedule Details

Season Opener: Wednesday, Oct. 25 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)

Championship Odds: +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

Top Matchups

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are must-see television against any team with 7'5" French superstar Victor Wembanyama aboard, but the Spurs-Blazers game will see two exciting rookies go at it with Henderson in the mix. It's possible San Antonio and Portland become Western Conference powers together much like they were throughout the 1990s. That time isn't now, but this might be a preview of what's to come down the road.

Charlotte Hornets

It'll be a battle between the No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks in the draft when Brandon Miller and the Hornets play the Blazers. Miller and Henderson were widely projected to go top three for months, with the question being who would end up at No. 2. In the end, the Hornets selected Miller, who might be a better fit at forward in Charlotte with the team already having a franchise guard in LaMelo Ball. But Henderson is great in his own right, and we could see him and Miller put on a show.

Season Outlook

Portland has an issue in 2023-24 as it looks to rebuild: The Western Conference is an absolute gauntlet.

It's hard figuring out which teams are going to struggle mightily this year. Ten of 15 Western Conference teams won 40 or more games last year. Portland was 13th and still managed to win 33 games despite missing Lillard for a third of the season.

Even the two teams that finished at the bottom of the West (the 22-win Houston Rockets and Spurs) significantly improved this offseason.

The guess here is that Portland finishes last in the Western Conference but doesn't embarrass itself like other teams who have brazenly tanked and struggled to even win 20 games. The Blazers still have veterans in Jerami Grant and Jusuf Nurkić that will prevent that from happening.

Expect them to win their share of matchups with an eye toward improving in 2024 and beyond.