My plans for Trail Blazers training camp coverage

The Blazers will go to Santa Barbara again for camp, and I will be there.

Hello everyone,

Believe it or not, we’re already days away from things getting ramped up again leading into the 2023-24 NBA season.

Over the past two months, people in my life have said to me something to the effect of, “This must be such a crazy summer for you!” And you’d think that would be the case, given that the biggest story with the team I cover is their best player and all-time leading scorer requesting a trade that’s been an ongoing national story. But it’s actually been a pretty normal summer on my end.

That’s because not much has actually happened with that story, or much else with the Trail Blazers. They’ve had a quiet offseason with roster moves or non-Damian Lillard players making news, really of any kind. I haven’t written as much as I’ve wanted to this summer, because there hasn’t been much to write about.

That’s about to change, regardless of whether the Lillard situation is resolved by the end of the month or not. No matter what happens, once training camp starts, there will be new storylines, new players to get to know and, before you know it, new games to cover.

For the second year in a row, the Blazers are holding training camp in Santa Barbara, on the UCSB campus. And for the second year in a row, I will be making the trip down there to cover it. The team will hold media day here in Portland on the morning of Monday, Oct. 2, and then later that afternoon they (and I, separately) will get on a plane and head to Southern California for the rest of the week.

Last year, the only non-team affiliated media outlets that made the trip were myself and The Oregonian. My assumption is that will be the case this time around. Plan accordingly as to where you’ll go for coverage.

Just like last fall, because I’m paying for the trip out of the money I make from doing this, anything I write from Santa Barbara will be behind the paywall, exclusively for premium subscribers. Last year—and really, throughout the year—I felt like I did everything I could to give your money’s worth to those of you who have chosen to pay, and I don’t plan on that changing.

If you are already a paid subscriber, thank you. And if you’re not, and want full access to coverage of training camp from one of the few reporters who will be there, hit the button below. I’ve got big things planned for year two.