Northwest Notes: Blazers Contracts, Nuggets Front Office, Wolves

The Trail Blazers have a lot of decisions to make this summer, writes Sean Highkin for Rose Garden Report. The ostensibly still-rebuilding team has 10 players who will either be extension-eligible or on an expiring contract for the coming season.

The amount of talent on the roster makes predicting extensions more complicated, with Anfernee Simons being a prime example. A young veteran who’s only 26 years old, Simons has reached a consistent level as a scorer that Scoot Henderson and extension-eligible Shaedon Sharpe have yet to hit, making moving him less of a priority than fans around the league might think.

DeAndre Ayton is another interesting case, as his presence prevents Donovan Clingan from starting, but his on-court production may be worth more to the Blazers than what he would return in a trade.

Sharpe and Toumani Camara remain the most interesting rookie-scale extension candidates. Sharpe has the skillset to be an offensive star, but inconsistency, injuries, and a lack of attention to detail have kept his game inconsistent thus far, which could make it hard for him and the Blazers to find a middle ground number. Camara, fresh off being named to the Second Team All-Defense, could lock in a four-year extension worth $90MM, but as a former second-round pick with a valuable skillset, it might be worth betting on himself to receive a bigger payday next summer.

We have more news from the Northwest division:

• The NBA draft is five days away, and free agency is hot on its heels. Given their need to make smart, cost-controlled roster moves on the margin, it’s problematic that the Nuggets still don’t have a permanent general manager, writes Sean Keeler of the Denver Post. The team currently has Ben Tenzer as the interim general manager, but with the draft approaching, not only is there a need for organizational clarity regarding selections, but also for other teams to know who they’re dealing with if they come calling for trades. Former Nuggets president Pete Babcock spoke to Keeler on the subject. “The standard operating procedure is (to) have someone in place,” Babcock said. “If their job was to put the puzzle together and build the team, you want them to be in place before the draft, so they’d have a say as to how things are going to come down.”
• It seems unlikely that the Nuggets will move any of their starters this summer, writes Spotrac’s Keith Smith in his offseason preview. The team will largely have to rely on internal development for improvement, though if they do make a move or choose not to bring back one of Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, or Vlatko Cancar, they could have their $5.7MM Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to add another depth piece. Names Smith floats are Guerschon Yabusele, Tyus Jones, or Larry Nance Jr.
• Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch says he’s expecting both Julius Randle and Naz Reid back with the team next year, says The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski (via Twitter). Both players are free agents, which puts the decision at least partially out of the Wolves’ hands, but Minnesota is in win-now mode and would have few mechanisms to replace the contributions of the two skilled big men if they were to depart, so retaining them will likely be a high priority.
• The Wolves will be looking to revamp its business operations department, as CEO Ethan Casson and COO Ryan Tanke are stepping down amidst the change in ownership, reports Krawczynski (via Twitter).