After exceeding expectations during the regular season, the Trail Blazers went the other way in the playoffs. Coming in as the No. 3 seed in the West, Portland is the first team to exit the postseason after a shocking sweep by the Pelicans.
The focus now turns to next year and how to improve a team that won 49 games. The Blazers are already about $10MM over the salary cap for 2018/19, and that number could go significantly higher. Jusuf Nurkic, Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton are all eligible for extensions this summer, with their qualifying offers combining for nearly $10MM.
Nurkic will be looking for a big-money deal after averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 79 games. He established himself as Portland’s starting center immediately after being acquired from the Nuggets in a trade last season and won’t be easy to replace if the Blazers decide he’s not affordable.
Most of the team’s salary is tied up in the starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are both signed to rich contracts through the 20/21 season. In addition, Evan Turner will make more than $36MM over the next two years, and Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard are each around $22MM for the same time frame, meaning no cap relief is coming until at least the summer of 2020.
President of basketball operations Neil Olshey has to decide this summer if the current approach will keep the Blazers competitive or if major changes are needed. Rumors are already circulating that head coach Terry Stotts may be fired after six years on the bench. But the only way to bring radical change is to break up the high-priced backcourt. Lillard is owed more than $89.4MM over the next three seasons, while McCollum will get more than $82.6MM. Either one would bring a healthy trade package in return, and a deal could help ease the financial logjam.
What would you do if you were running the Blazers? Would you break up one of the best backcourts in the NBA, or is there a better solution? Please give us your feedback in the comments section below.
Blow it up
Turner was a terrible signing.
Let the big fella walk if another team is foolish enough to give him big $
You have to keep the 2 guards. That’s your strength that’s why you’re good and they know how to play together. That’s the personality of the Blazers you need to build around them.
See if NO will take one of Dame or CJ for Boogie.
I wouldn’t blow it up, but I would see if I could attach a first rounder to Evan Turner and get him off the books. There are several teams (Memphis, Dallas, Atlanta) that are going to be rebuilding that can use a guy like Turner that can score. Who knows, Turner might actually have still a little bit of upside as a #1 or #2 scoring option on a bad team. He could see something like an Isaiah Thomas “career year” if he goes to the right situation.
Memphis would take our 1st and try to give us Parsons back. No space on that team for Turner and Parsons.
You might be able to involve a 3rd team to take Parsons if Memphis wanted to unload him. I doubt Portland would take him back because that would defeat the purpose of getting rod of Turner.
That’s true but would probably be way more difficult. It’s hard to find a landing spot for Turner and almost impossible to find one for Parsons. Finding a team that would take them and match up in a 3 way trade just seems so unlikely that if it happened, Lebron might as well end up in Portland.
A team like Brooklyn might take Parsons if a 1st was attached. Say Turner and a Brooklyn 2nd to Memphis, Parsons and a Portland 1st to Brooklyn, Jeremy Lin to Portland. Portland could then try to flip Lin somewhere which wouldn’t be easy, but $5 million less than Turner.
I’d start by asking if Evan Turner would take a pay cut, always a chance especially considering the 30+ million he’s made in the past two years
If not I’d couple a 1st rounder and try to offload him at all costs
Turner won’t take a pay cut, and He’ll be difficult to move. Portland’s pick is # 24, which is semi-attractive to a tanking team, but not overly so.
The answer has to be one of Dame or CJ moved. Other than Harkless, there really is not another player that is on a decent enough contract to have good trade capital. Sixers will be looking for a SG, and with picks, young players and cap space, that would be an ideal landing spot for CJ if Philly can’t land Lone of the big fish (LBJ, Kawhi).
Well that was the most embarrassing playoff series I’ve ever seen. It sucks that we probably have to blow up the Lillard/McCollum backcourt because Olshey gave Leonard, Harkless, Turner, and Crabbe so much money. Olshey deserves an award for worst executive of the year for that. Ruined the potential of a young team by over paying one dimensional players with no accountability or basketball IQ at all. They’re putting way too much on player development in Portland. Get a player who knows how to play already. It’s been 3 years, Aminu is never gonna learn how to dribble. Evan Turner isn’t suddenly going to shoot 40% from 3. They should just waive and stretch the whole roster outside of Dame, CJ, Aminu and Collins lol. Ed Davis is a lock to leave, Nurkic is going to be overpaid, literally anyone they bring in can replace Turner, Leonard, and Harkless’ nonexistent production. Napier is probably gone too.
I don’t even think you can take a pay cut in the NBA I think that’s just the NFL.
Deandre Jorden and the clippers can do a sign and trade something like this
Portland- 5th pick, Deandre, Simmons, and Augustine
Orlando- CJ
Clippers- Turner, Mack
Portland clears 10 mil. off their books, gets the fifth pick in the draft, and has Augustine and Jorden replacing Shabazz and Nurkic.
Orlando gets CJ, witch I think him, Fournier, Isaac, Gorden, and Vucevic can lead them to the playoffs in the weak east
Clippers get turner, whose a good wing defender off the bench witch is what they need and mac, who can replace Austin Rivers or Teodosic.