Portland just made an obvious money savings trade, that one again, traded expiring contracts for expiring contracts. I don't think there's much hance at all they would go the opposite direction and add 26 million to next year's payroll all for the sake of a 35 year old big whose skills have declined significantly leaving him only suitable to play C. He'd be a 24M backup to Nurkic....that would be some major mismanagement piled on top of all the miscalculations Olshey has made in the last 7 months
Seems to me that Olshey did this to have Ariza as Hood insurance for next year. Neither Bazemore or Tolliver we’re going to be on the roster after this year. One year left on Ariza’s contract so no big commitment there. The rest of the pieces are likely a whole bunch of nothing. Saves a bit of money. Solid conservative move.
Hood insurance? First of all, Hood may never be the same again... and for sure not next season. So if Neil thinks 36 year old Ariza is a good replacement at starting SF then he is about to waste another year of Dames prime... terrible use of an expiring contact.
I want to believe that Jodie did not tell Neil to save money. I want to believe that Neil wants to trade for a really good player with a fairly big contract. I want to believe it won't be Kevin Love.
Well if he is going to trade for a really good player with a fairly big contract it won't be Love. He once was a really good player now he is just paid like one.
Consider the young kid your 2nd round pick. But early. Alllllllllll season people bitching about Bazemore and Tolliver. They are now gone. Maybe the market for fucking Bazemore and Tolliver isn’t great? Maybe? They can find a way to get more second round picks if they want in 2024, my god.
I was so looking forward to not making the playoffs with Tolliver and Bazemore getting extended minutes. I am so upset I will not get to see this.
It doesn’t prohibit any trades people have been fantasizing about, so I don’t get it either. They still have picks to trade. They still have expirings. Shit they may even flip Ariza if they find someone better. And saving on the tax isn’t a bad thing, because adding money becomes more realistic.
5 years away, 2nd round picks are worth fuck all. You can buy one day of the draft if you really get a fucking hard on for some perceived diamond in the rough.
They are worth more maybe, but...It’s a crap shoot. Remember when Jordan Bell was the steal of the century and everyone was all but hurt that GS outmaneuvered us to get him? Fuck I think people were calling him some sort of defensive mastermind, the next draymond. A game changer. He’s garbage. it’s less about the draft, and more about development and opportunity. Blazers are meh at that too unfortunately.
relatively speaking, Portland is actually one of the better teams when it comes to opportunity/development.