Portland Trail Blazers 2020 two round mock draft compilation 1.0
Ed Stein
|
Assessing the roster
To reach the next level the Trail Blazers need more help. Both Anthony and Whiteside are pending free agents. Melo said Portland felt like home and wants to come back. It’s unlikely Whiteside will return.
With Nurkic and Collins on the team and healthy, he is a high-profile bench player. The Blazers won’t pay $27M for a substitute, nor should they. Whiteside, for his part, won’t play for the same or less money after leading the league in blocks and finishing second in rebounds.
Both Mario Hezonja and Caleb Swanigan are also pending UFAs. Neither is close to a starter, but someone has to play those minutes off the bench. An already thin frontcourt is about to get thinner.
Additionally, 34-year-old small forward Trevor Ariza, who opted out of the restart for personal reasons, has a reasonable $1.8M buyout of his $12M contract. With Hood coming back from an Achilles tear, an additional outside shooter would be a nice addition as well.
The draft is currently scheduled for October 16. Recent comments from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, point to that date moving back to accommodate a revised Collective Bargaining Agreement and updated 2020–21 schedule.
Between now and draft day there will be plenty of signings, extensions, buyouts, and trades. That’s why the mock drafts will be somewhat fluid going forward.