https://www.blazersedge.com/platfor...urkic-portland-trail-blazers-sacramento-kings Dan Favale of Bleacher Report warns Sacramento and Portland against buying into one of the best free agent centers on the market. Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will be one of the better pivots to hit NBA Free Agencythis July, but not everybody is convinced of the value of the restricted free agent to his current team or prospective suitors. Writing for Bleacher Report, Dan Favale warns the Blazers and the Sacramento Kings that spending big bucks on the Bosnian Beast might not be worth the eventual payoff. First Favale waves off Portland from their own guy, saying they have better options available. Voluntarily moving on from Jusuf Nurkic toes the line of bold for the Blazers, but they’re on the verge of paying a massive luxury-tax bill. They shouldn’t be giving a significant sum of money to a big who can be played off the floor by more mobile 5s. Retaining Ed Davis should come much cheaper, and the Blazers also have Zach Collins, who should be playing more minutes at center. That duo will get them by without nuking the bank. Then Favale cautions that the Kings can’t afford to spend money and can’t afford to miss, making Nurkic a risky prospect. Upgrading to a more polished center will hold a certain appeal. Jusuf Nurkic isn’t the most efficient back-to-the-basket scorer (he placed in the 27th percentile of post-up efficiency), but he’s comfortable in a higher usage role. And he just helped helm one of the NBA’s top rim defenses for an entire season. Nurkic won’t turn 24 until August, so his window doesn’t run counter to the Kings’ timeline. The Blazers’ cap situation only makes him easier to steal. They’re up against the luxury tax, and he’s not a sure thing like Clint Capelaor Nikola Jokic (team option). Still, the Kings should distance themselves from Nurkic or any other big who figures to cost more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Their young fliers aren’t throwaways, and Nurkic’s rim protection won’t seem as heavenly outside Portland’s conservative, behemoth friendly scheme. The article covers dangerous signing for all 30 NBA Teams. Nurkic averaged 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 26.4 minutes of play for the Trail Blazers last season, shooting 50.5% from the field. All those numbers except field goal percentage (50.7% in 2016-17) represented career highs for the fourth-year center.
I want them to retain Nurk, BUT... A: If someone offers him a max contract (or an outrageous audio one) 2. If he doesn't work on his consistency and going up aggressively... Then I say don't re-sign him. C'est la vie.
I really like Ed Davis as a back up center, but I think Nurkic has potential to be a better center overall than Ed. I’d like them to keep both, I am worried of over paying Nurkic, but he improves the teams defense so much. Seems lik Nurkic even with his faults makes the Blazers better, and so they should try to keep him...
He already is better. After the break, he averaged 20/14/2.5 (per 36) on 55% shooting with elite rim protection. He's 23. And the author thinks we shouldn't resign him because were already paying Meyers Leonard and Evan Turner. It's stupid to suggest we shouldn't bring Nurk back.
I have two worries with Nurkic, how can he solve the problem of being locked in? The Blazers got him because he gave up in Denver, and he has had stretches in Portland where he’s looked disinterested. The other is he can be a turnover machine at times, from sloppy ball handling, to bad passes, or a lack of post moves he can’t hand the ball over so much. I hope they can get him for 15M or less.
"Collins should be playing more minutes at center", that's total BS. He's a PF, with the upside of LaMarcus Aldridge, IMO, but he's NOT A CENTER. He'd get eaten alive by the more physical centers in the league. The Blazers MUST re-sign Nurk. I swear these media guys want the Blazers to fail, and fall into oblivion. The Blazers need to keep Nurk and develop him.
Agreed. I mean you don't want to go crazy and over pay him, but you don' t not sign a player that you like just because the luxury tax hit. And as far as I can remember that has never been a obstacle for PA.
He's still maturing as a man, and a player. Yes he has done some silly things, but he has everything there to become a dominant center in this league. Funny how other young players on other teams need to mature and develop, but if they're on the Blazers, they should be let go so the Blazers can become irrelevant.
If he solves the problem of not being locked in all the time thanbhed be a Top 5 center in the league. Why would we give up on That? He's 23. There's a lot of room for growth, and he'll figure out the game mentally as he matures, and he'll be a beast.
Sounds like the whole article is a Blazers fan telling the whole league not to make a big offer so that we can get him cheap.
If that's the case than that fan is absolutely delusional to think the "whole league" will read his crap.
Agree, but the Blazers can write language into the contract that will protect themselves if he doesn't put the effort forward to become all he can be. It will be a HUGE mistake to just let him walk. If you get gun shy as a franchise because you've made a few mistakes, then you're doomed to fail. Nurk is not Meyers Leonard.
If anyone still wonders why I've said all season that McCollum has to go...This Nurkic salary squeeze is just the first of many, until McCollum goes. Leonard and Turner are untradeable, so that leaves McCollum. Keep Nurkic.
Well, I'm also a little biased in that I have always thought McCollum was overrated. So I look for financial reasons to motivate us to trade, before the rest of the league catches on and his trade value flattens (which is my real reason).
I definitely wouldn’t give him a max contract. Having CJ, Dame and Nurk take $80M a year would basically mean we would be locked to this roster for the next three years. It’s not a roster that can compete for the championship.
It's not as if good players are easy to find or falling in the Blazers' lap. Had we listened to adj +/- we never would have made the hugely idiotic Turner mistake. Nurk's offense is inept but he's young and it's getting better. His defense is elite. Keep Nurk.
