Portland Trail Blazers: The Road To Attrition and Redemption
Best use of assets
While interim GM Joe Cronin talked about the cap space the trades created, the truth is the Portland Trail Blazers are most likely already right back against the cap. Simons is due for a big raise as a restricted free agent, and Portland most likely will have to overpay to retain him.
If the Blazers bring back Nurk along with Simons, that will eat up almost all of the cap space they created. So how do they improve?
This year’s lottery pick and a $20 million trade exception are their two best assets. The question is, who do they go after with those tools. Portland’s perfect missing piece would be a power forward who can defend and provide some reliable shooting.
Unfortunately, most NBA teams are looking for the same guys. So there aren’t many readily available. The following are the most likely available targets.
Doors 1 & 2
Jerami Grant is everyone’s favorite fake trade target. He checks many boxes that the Portland Blazers need and has worn out his welcome in Detroit. He also has delusions of grandeur and thinks he should be the primary star on any team he plays for.
The fact he turned down an equal offer from a contending Denver team so that he could be the leading scorer on an atrocious Pistons squad tells Rip City all they need to know about him. Pass.
The New York Knicks and Julius Randle seem to be tiring of each other after Randle fell back to earth from his career year in 2020. While he isn’t an All-NBA talent, Randle is a solid scorer and rebounder who can move the ball.
He’s less likely to challenge Dame than Grant, and maybe a change of scenery could do him good. Randle isn’t the first choice, but if the Knicks would offer him to Portland as a salary dump, Cronin shouldn’t hang up the phone.