https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/ Sort by total cap, the Blazers are second. However the Cavs are waiving JR Smith today so after that the Blazers are #1.
Factors in dead money though, which isn't actually being paid. In actual salaries they're third, which isn't really all that much better.
which brings up a very interesting question: Do Portland's expiring contracts have more value to Portland than to any other team? if the answer is yes, and I think it very well could be, than all the ideas about Portland leveraging those contracts into longer term salary on different players may be based upon a view the Blazer front office doesn't share
Didn't Neil say as much in the Whiteside interview? About how Whiteside's (and Baze's) contract allows them some cap flexibility, and they'd rather take these on than commit long term and lose that flexibility.
That's the way I read him as well. I think the notion of a deadline trade is probably not what the Blazers are thinking unless there's a great opportunity that comes up. NO may well be thinking that Whiteside and Bazemore are long term pieces, but at lower renegotiated salaries next summer.
If we made it to the Conference Championship, doesn't that equate to top 4 salary. We go our money's worth.