Five “realistic” players for the Portland Trail Blazers to pursue in free agency
On Monday, we begin NBA free agency, and the Portland Trail Blazers get their first chance to improve their roster.
Portland likely won’t have cap space and will be relegated to taxpayer Mid Level exception (MLE) ($5,890,000), a Bi-annual exception ($3,732,000), and two Minimum contracts. Therefore, I’ve decided to try and list five realistic free agent targets that the team needs to seriously consider either signing or re-signing to help improve the team going into the 2021-22 season.
Realistic players to re-sign
Norman Powell
This is THE most pivotal signing of Portlands’ offseason. If Portland strikes out on re-signing Norman Powell, then the likelihood of Damian Lillard staying in town drastically decreases. Losing Powell would add desperation to the team because the Blazers would be more limited asset-wise.
Retaining Powell gives Portland not just CJ McCollums’ potential replacement but another trade asset down the road if Portland decides to move on or upgrade from Powell.
Enes Kanter
I think Portland is in a situation right now where they can either take a risk on using the Mid Level exception and swing for a player like Nerlens Noel, Paul Milsap, or even a PJ Tucker. (None of which I think Portland would actually be able to get for the MLE); or retain a player like Enes Kanter that averaged a double-double and did a solid job in Nurkics’ absence.
I believe the saying is, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” This applies to Kanter. Fortunately, Portland has Kanter’s early bird rights and can sign him up to 175 percent of his contract. Portland should wrap it up on day one of free agency. Having a center tandem that can score in the paint while combining to put up over 25 points per game and 20 rebounds per game is a rarity in the League these days.
Enes Kanter, Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Frenchieinportland, via Wikimedia)