Portland Trail Blazers: Time for the young guys to contribute
The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t make any big moves during free agency, signaling that they would rely on their younger players to contribute. Also, they didn’t have a lot of money to spend.
Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey didn’t do much during this free agency. Not great, considering how last season’s results and that Damian Lillard is less than happy with the roster. However, Olshey didn’t have a lot of money to spend. So, it’s hard to acquire the top free agents when you don’t have a lot of money. The other side of the argument is trades.
While the Blazers may not have had much money to spend, they certainly could have made more than a trade or two. Getting Larry Nance Jr at the expense of Derrick Jones Jr was a great move. However, the included future first-round pick, even if it is lottery-protected, is not great. As long as Lillard is on the roster, the Blazers won’t have a lottery pick. Outside of significant injuries, of course.
So, a middle to late first-round pick for Nance on an aging veteran roster with no clear future is not a very smart move. But, really, where do the Blazers go after Lillard and CJ McCollum retire or are dealt at the end of their careers? Jusuf Nurkic? He may not want to be in Portland that much longer. Also, building around a not overly athletic fragile big man is not a good idea either.
We’re not even going to acknowledge the national media’s incessant pushing of Ben Simmons to the Portland Trail Blazers. The package put together to acquire him is costly. Plus, every NBA fan saw how much of a liability he is in the playoffs. However, moving Lillard to pair Simmons with McCollum and Norman Powell isn’t a terrible idea. Especially if Philadelphia includes a young player and a couple of draft picks. It’s just leaving out all the broken hearts in Rip City after trading Lillard. So, where do the Blazers go from here?
Next: Page 2 Relying on the Youngsters