https://www.blazersedge.com/platfor...ee-agents-salary-cap-damian-lillard-nba-draft From keeping their own free agents to adding talent, the Trail Blazers will have a full plate in the offseason. The Portland Trail Blazers had what most would call one of the most spectacular and unlikely seasons in the history of the NBA. The difference between preseason expectations and how things ultimately unfolded was patently ridiculous and amazing and awesome... and well...it’s over now. As much as this season will stay with me—probably forever—I’m switching over into the offseason and looking forward to what is to come. While some may think that’s too fast, it’s already happening around us: draft combines, camp invites, free agency plans, etc., so it felt like this was the time to lay out how I’m looking at this offseason. 1. A big fish (how big remains to be seen): can they land him? Are the Blazers invested truly into this core group? Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and when he returns, Jusuf Nurkic certainly look to be formidable. But are they enough to contend for a title, even if the Golden State Warriors lose some of their star power this season? There’s a strong argument that Portland would still fall short—so who could they add to their roster to bolster their squad? Do the Blazers have the assets necessary to land this player? Are they willing to pay a premium to make it happen, much like the Philadelphia 76ers did for Jimmy Butler? Is Portland willing to risk the financial viability of the franchise—the ability to build a team that’s even remotely competitive in a couple years if they trade for Blake Griffin? It’s a heavy risk/reward situation. Here’s where Portland find themselves when it comes to their rotation players and cap space commitments with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Moe Harkless, Zach Collins, Meyers Leonard, Jusuf Nurkic and Evan Turner as their seven key rotation players, and Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr. and Skal Labissiere as their project players. Which leads us to... 2. Who are the rehab projects? The Blazers have done a great job at finding and exploiting the margins, with no bigger success than last season there. Just look at Seth Curry, Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter: Curry was picked up as a free agent after being out of basketball for a year. Hood just as may well have been, wasting away in basketball purgatory in Cleveland, and the same could be said of Kanter. They are the exceptions though, not the rule. Rarely will you find high-rotation caliber players in places where you can just pluck them out and add them for little to no cost. Establishing who those guys are this year becomes incredibly important to the depth of next year’s team. Keep in mind what have been the common threads here: players who have been up and down, shown signs of promise or have fallen out of the rotation, and applying those ideas to players in the soon to be available free agent crop. If you’re keen on adding another point guard type and sliding Simons to the off-guard, perhaps you look at Trey Burke. Troy Daniels, a phenomenal shooter, Alec Burks (who could be much like Hood last year), or if you’re feeling especially lucky, Dragan Bender! Speaking of feeling lucky! 3. Draft The Draft is how the Blazers have been built since Day 1. As a small market team on the Northwest frontier, that’s just how it’s always been. Whether or not Portland keeps their pick to add to the cupboard (one that is very bare) or uses it in concert with other assets remains to be seen. If Portland is going to make a move, I would expect it to be early so that it frees up space or allows the next domino to fall into place. Portland isn’t a team that can just hold out until the deadline. 4. Secondary Trades Making a move around the margin is easier when you have the bodies and assets in place to do so. Right now, Portland has 10 players under contract- 3 of them are Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr. and Skal Labissiere (they combined to play 1.62% of the total available minutes last season). Portland does not have the depth and/or experience on their side right now. If Portland is going to move one of their expiring contracts it has to accomplish a handful of goals: create cap space, bring in talent, and allow for future moves. That’s a tough ask, but those are the waters they have to navigate now. 5. Cap Flexibility (refer to graph above) This is completely out the window if Portland opts to bring in a top tier asset and switch fully into “go for it” mode. If not, Portland has to be careful how it treats their expiring deals, making sure they are able to get as much capital in return as possible so that they can restock and try again. One thing that Portland has to consider is what Lillard’s supermax deal may or may not mean for McCollum’s future once his contract expires. Asset management will have to be very strict for the immediate future if Portland is unable to get much out of this offseason and a big part of that will be how they manage the cap. That’s my 30,000 foot view on how I’m looking at this offseason thus far. As the weeks and events progress, I’ll get into more and more detail. Let us know in the comments below what you think—how are you going into this offseason?
Would you go on Blazersedge and post a link to a thread from here? I'm just curious why you post stuff from there?
No, but thats because theres no one over there I talk to. Ive posted links from other sites here because I was curious about what the posters here thought about it. Outside of stuff for work, this is the “community” I talk to the most online.
I don't have a problem with posting an editorial from a sports site here...actually it gets done from many sites regularly,youtube ... yahoo sports...espn...nba.com..etc….I never read Blazers edge but I enjoyed this article.
It's so funny how the NBA went from not allowing tshirts to now players look like they're about to perform a gymnastics routine.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2837446-trades-to-replace-the-nbas-10-worst-starters 7. Nicolas Batum, SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets Portland Trail Blazers receive: Nicolas Batum, 2019 No. 36 overall pick, 2020 lottery-protected first-round pick Charlotte Hornets receive: Evan Turner, Skal Labissiere, Gary Trent Jr. Back in January, loud whispers suggested the Hornets were "desperate" to deal Batum and willing to attach a sweetener (in that case Frank Kaminsky) to do it. Considering Charlotte was still fully in win-enough-to-appease-Kemba mode, this was not an insignificant desire. Then again, it also wasn't surprising. Batum pocketed a team-high $24 million salary this past season while ranking sixth in scoring and 13th among rotation players in usage percentage. Blazers fans surely remember Batum's frustrating inconsistency, as he spent his first seven NBA seasons in Rip City. But they should also remember his glue-guy gifts, like secondary playmaking, floor-spacing and defensive versatility. Those skills only shine when he has top-level talent to complement, and he'd get that in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Batum's contract is colossal, but Portland might be more open to add money than most with a close-but-not-quite-contending roster and limited resources to reshape the roster. Adding a pair of draft picks also eases the financial sting. This is mainly a money-saving move for Charlotte. Turner and Labissiere only have guaranteed contracts through next season, and Trent just started his rookie deal. But the hope is one or both of Trent (a perimeter sniper) and Labissiere (a 23-year-old with length and a jumper) emerge as keepers.
I didn't mean to....my keyboard is acting weird and I was trying to get it to stop misbehaving. USB wireless is wonky sometimes I can't remember what I said, something about peeing on posts and tires? Most of my jokes aren't that funny the first time...recycling isn't an improvement
I can find a batum deal that I can stomach, but it certainly doesnt include us sending young pieces that direction
I know, right? At minimum it would probably have to be ET and either Harkless/Leonard for Batum and their 1st this year. It would probably need to be another 1st too.
I wouldn't mind taking Bridges, potentially, instead of their 1st. Nic and Bridges for Turner and Harkless would give us an overpaid SF, but a young replacement. Nic's contract will expire before Dame's extension would kick in.
Yeah I wouldn't hate that, especially if we turned Nic's expiring into something next year too. I can't stand the thought of watching Batum for 2 more seasons though.
Not only that, but a "lotto protected" pick from a team like the Hornets is a scam. When will they NOT be in the lotto?
Nico, when playing well and engaged has a beautiful game....problem is it's only a couple of times a month...just when people would give up on him he'd come out and showcase his talent....I was a real Nico fan from the defensive side of the ball and for his passing on offense. The Nic and Rolo game...I also think he's more interested in being Neil Olshey than Paul George...he invested in a French team in his hometown and wants to get into management. After Nico got his first giant contract he seemed to get lazy. I follow ex Blazers the first year they leave the team and go elsewhere commonly and Nico with Charlotte, Crabbe with the Nets or Wes with the Mavs were just terrible to watch...they both played better under Stotts..one season when Nico went down with injury he compared Allan Crabbe to Brandon Roy.....I think I squirted scotch out of my nose when he said that
