The Trail Blazers intend to add one more player to their roster this offseason and enter training camp with 14 players, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, who tweets that Portland is the market for a center.
The Blazers, who are currently carrying 13 players on guaranteed contracts, will be without Jusuf Nurkic for a portion of the 2019/20 season as he recovers from a broken leg. The club also traded away Meyers Leonard to Miami earlier this month.
Young big man Zach Collins may be in line for a larger role, and newly-acquired rim protector Hassan Whiteside figures to see plenty of action at the five, but Portland doesn’t have much center depth beyond those two players, so it makes sense that the club would be on the lookout for another backup.
Amir Johnson, Joakim Noah, Kosta Koufos, Greg Monroe, and Nene are among the players available if the Blazers opt to get the veteran free agent route.
It’s not clear if Quick’s reference to Portland taking 14 players into training camp just refers to players on guaranteed standard contracts — the team can carry up to 20 players on its roster before the start of the regular season. However, the Blazers typically don’t bring in a ton of players on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deals, since they don’t have their own G League affiliate to send them to once they’re waived.
Evan Turner for Biyombo or Zeller
Pretty sure he was already traded to the Hawks for Kent Bazemore.
Yeah he is on the hawks now . My guess will be a free agent center , any of those listed I’m sure will take the minimum
Monroe is the only mobile center of the bunch that is left. NeNe can move still but lot of tread, but you’re looking for what 8-10 mins max?
Portland should start Zach Collins, wandering Whiteside off the bench. I’ve always thought he would be a fit for them, so I think they should try to sign Noah as a depth piece, out of those options. Kenneth Faried could make some sense, but I probably want to see what they do at the 4
*bringing Whiteside…also Noah might be important to keep someone in Whiteside’s ear
I actually forgot a couple of their signings, but they could use another piece at the 4, Luol Deng could make sense for them
You beat me to it. Faried would be a nice fit. He’s versatile enough to guard the 4 and 5, and doesn’t need the ball in his hands.
Why don’t the Blazers have G League affiliate? One of 3 teams (as far as I could determine) that don’t.
It’ll just be them and Denver next season. They’ve been slow about lining up their own affiliate, but I’d expect it to happen by 2021 or so.
I feel like the elephant in the room is…who is their starting 4?
Yeah traded away two decent ones and signed and traded another. Well they always got Skal. Faried would be a solid pickup though for C depth. Made some strides on his 3s last season. They really outta trade for K Love. Bazemore, Collins, Little, 2020 1st might get it done.
Whiteside
Love
Hood
McCollum
Lillard
This from espn & cbs rosters:
4) Zach Collins, Tolliver, Labisier
3) Mario Hezonja??? Surely Kent Bazemore but he is listed as a 1 and Hood as a 2. Hezonja should be the 3 listed as the 1!
From what I saw in Vegas, Nassir Little 3 will NOT be ready and Gary Trent 2 was uneven. Simons is ready at the 1 but is fragile.
Someone has to be missing; this is thin stuff. And yes they need another 5 esp since Collins is their 4. Aminu & Harkless may have held them back last year but this group is weaker.
LOL Nobody else. RealGM lists starting Blazer forwards as Hezonja & Tolliver! Pathetic.
They lost Aminu 4, Harkless 3, Curry 1-2, Kanter 5, Layman 3, Leonard 5 & Turner 1-3. Hood did them a favor re-signing for cheap. Gained Whiteside, Bazemore, rooks besides the new so-called starters.