Looks like straight lottery protection until 2028 when it becomes a 2nd rounder. Hopefully we make the playoffs before then, but its certainly much more likely we keep that pick now than what I would've thought 5 days ago. https://www.si.com/nba/trailblazers/analysis/grading-the-deal-blazers-trade-first-round-pick-for-larry-nance-jr#:~:text=Portland acquired veteran forward Larry,via sign-and-trade.
But more cap space(60 Mil.) to add quality players at NEEDED positions. Joe & Staff are busting a move to remake this roster. That's what was needed to leave the stagnant situation our roster was in.
And the most important aspect of all this suckage: CHET to Portland — the chances have substantially gone up
Absolutely, hope it works out. But, Joe has landed exactly zero free agents. We'll see what he does with the $$$.
What Joe Cronin sees when he looks in the mirror, let's hope he's right: (yes, this is from moneyball)
True, but you can't prove yourself without having an opportunity. He's put in place, that ability. Go Joe Go!
I'm definitely rooting for him, but small town Portland is not the Lakers. This is a Lakers-type of plan.
Serious questions. What FA would you target with our cap space? What FA do you actually think would sign here? Just as an aside, the predictions on how much cap space we will actually have seems all over the map.
Max cap space is if we renounce Hart, Simons and Nurk. Seems like Hart and Simons provide much more value at their cap hold, so the space should really be reported as likely at ~35 million. So possibly could sign a max free agent in theory. But what is likely? I'd say; 1 Probably most likely the team stays over the cap and keeps trade exceptions, MLE, cap holds, etc. 2 Or the team decides to go the OKC Thunder route and absorb contracts in trade for youth/picks. This strategy makes more sense if the team moves to trading away Dame and/or tanking again next season. 3 Signing an impact free agent above non tax MLE is third and least likely scenario
If we do ultimately trade Dame doesn't that give Cronin much more job security? We get a bunch of picks and young players and expectations to lose and get more picks and more young players.... so there would be no wins, playoffs, or other metric to judge if he is doing well.
hypothetically the Blazers could go into the moratorium and then talk to FA's like Harden, LaVine, & Beal and determine if any would be willing to sign with Portland. If so, they could then renounce Hart, Nurkic, and their 27M in TPE's, then sign the free agent but that hypothetical dies because the guarantee date of Hart's contract in June 25. So, the best Portland can do is to re-sign Hart and hope for a S&T using Hart as part of the collateral. another possibility: Portland isn't hard-capped this season. It's possible, at the draft, that the Blazers could have 2 lottery picks, maybe one a top-4 pick, as well as the 31M in the Bledsoe and Hart contracts, plus filler, and work out an extend-and-trade for a pending free agent; or even a straight trade (how about a 3 team trade of Harden to Brooklyn; Bledsoe + filler and lottery picks to Philly; Simmons to Portland? I'm not real fond of the notion of trading for 33 year old Harden) Portland's future Dame-centered options all appear to be long shots of varying degree of difficulty. But the Blazers, IMO, owe Dame at least one honest attempt at building a contender around him. Olshey never did that because he was so completely welded to CJ, in brain (ego) and heart
It’s clear now as to what his goal is — demolish. Good on him for erasing Neil. HOWEVER, this still doesn’t excuse that Clipper trade. That return for Powell alone was poor - and probably rushed to get a deal done.
