The Portland Trail Blazers named Joe Cronin as their permanent general manager on Tuesday, removing the interim title he’d held since Dec. 3.
He was moved into the position when president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey was fired following an investigation into workplace misconduct.
Cronin will oversee all aspects of basketball operations.
“Joe has shown in his short time as interim GM that he is more than ready to continue leading the front office,” said Jody Allen, Portland Trail Blazers board chairperson. “We remain excited for the future of Trail Blazers basketball with Joe and (coach) Chauncey (Billups) driving a cohesive plan to build an even more competitive and winning roster.”
Cronin intends to rebuild the franchise around all-NBA guard Damian Lillard, who missed the final three-plus months of the season due to an adominal injury. The Blazers will have a top 10 draft pick and a $21 million trade exception to work with, gained with the trade of guard CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans in February.
Cronin joined the team as a basketball operations intern in 2006. In 2010, he was promoted to pro scout/salary cap analyst, then to director of player personnel in 2014 and assistant general manager in 2021.
The Blazers were 27-55 in the 2021-22 season, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
–Field Level Media