Portland Trail Blazers: Flexing their payroll flexibility
Some fans criticized Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey for handing out big free agent contracts in the offseason. He may be a few more chess moves ahead than they think.
Going into the offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers were in the unique position of having arguably three-fifths of its starting lineup set in stone. The other two spots were on opposite ends of the age spectrum. They had, past his prime 3-and-D, veteran Trevor Ariza and injury-plagued but promising young power forward, Zach Collins.
The two forwards helped Portland strengthen some deficient positions. Ironically, the duo never played together due to injuries and circumstances. Both players were entering the 2020–21 season in the final years of their respective contracts. Decisions had to be made.
Trades
Ariza didn’t factor into the Portland Trail Blazers’ long-term plan and was traded for essentially a younger version of himself, 29-year old Robert Covington. That was a huge win right off the bat for the Blazers.
Next came the three-way trade that sent Mario Hezonja to Memphis and Portland’s trade exception to Boston, bringing center Enes Kanter back to town. The Turkish import replaced Hassan Whiteside as Jusuf Nurkic‘s backup at center. It was a great move by Portland Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey to set up for pending free agency.
Free Agents
Rodney Hood re-signed for two-years, $21M. Next up, Portland used their full mid-level extension on Derrick Jones Jr., signing him for two years at a cost of $19M. A few days later, Olshey wrapped up league minimum contracts for Carmelo Anthony and Harry Giles III. It was a highly successful offseason.