Blazers Tender Qualifying Offer To Jusuf Nurkic

The Trail Blazers have issued a qualifying offer to Jusuf Nurkic, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The offer ensures that Nurkic will be a restricted free agent when the new league year begins this weekend.

Nurkic, acquired by Portland before the 2017 trade deadline, started 79 games for the Blazers in 2017/18, averaging 14.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 26.4 minutes per contest. While Nurkic was somewhat inconsistent and wasn’t necessarily a game-changing force in the middle for the Blazers, he provided solid production at the five and is still entering his prime — he’ll turn 24 in August.

While the Blazers have indicated they’d like to retain Nurkic, it may be challenging for the club to match a lucrative offer sheet for the young center. Portland already has $110MM+ in guaranteed money on its 2018/19 cap for just eight players, so a big raise for Nurkic figures to put the club over the tax line with several roster spots still to fill.

Because he met the starter criteria in 2017/18, Nurkic’s qualifying offer is worth $4,749,591. The Blazers will also have to make decisions on QOs for Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton, who are both eligible for restricted free agency.

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