Portland Trail Blazers: Cheering for Cap Space

Chris Phillips   |  

Feb 10, 2022

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Eggs in One Basket

We’ll save the draft for later as we don’t yet know who will be available. But there is this one note on any draft player. It is doubtful that they come into the league at an All-Star level in their first year. So, that means at least one year where Lillard doesn’t get any help from a rookie. It could be longer if the drafted player takes the Simons path.

So, now to the trade route. The Portland Trail Blazers don’t have much trade capital. Lillard, Simons, and Portland’s first-round draft picks are the pieces of value. Josh Hart and Nassir Little have some value as well, just to a lesser extent than the players mentioned above. We can pretty much rule out Lillard and Simons being dealt, as they are the new core and foundation of the team.

That leaves the draft picks, which are cheap financially speaking, Hart and Little. By trading for an NBA player, the Blazers would acquire a bigger salary than a drafted player, especially since Portland would be seeking to get a max-level type of player to join up.

This brings us back to the beloved cap space those “smart” Portland Trail Blazers fans are boasting about. You are giving up young valuable assets and cap space by trading for a max-level type of player. Consequently, the roster will need to be made up of free agent veteran players, who are more than likely on the downside of their career, or we know what we’re getting with them. In other words, a rotational player.

Better Not Miss

All this is to say that if Cronin successfully lands the full-time GM role, he will need to connect on his attempt to acquire a max-level player. On the other hand, if he doesn’t land the Portland Trail Blazers GM role, the person who does get it will be taking over a bit of a mess. As the roster is currently constructed, one superstar, a rising star, and many role players do not get this team to the promised land of an NBA Finals.

Maybe I could get more behind his moves if Cronin lands some young rising players in return or another lottery first-round draft pick. However, putting all of his proverbial eggs in one basket is a dangerous game. He better not miss, because it could cost him, Lillard. Subsequently, it would also cost him his job. Cheers to cap space and making the Portland Trail Blazers a desirable destination!

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