It was nearly two weeks ago that Damian Lillard reportedly had a sit-down meeting with owner Paul Allen to discuss the plans to strengthen the roster and the direction of the organization. With Lillard's commitment reaffirmed and the Trail Blazers currently on a skid after losing three straight, the up-and-down Trail Blazers desperately need to make a move ahead of the deadline going into the heart of their NBA schedule.
The Rumor Mill
On Monday's edition of The Lowe Podcast, ESPN NBA Insiders Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski discussed Center DeAndre Jordan and the possibility of Portland adding the athletic center to its roster. Jordan, known for his athleticism and established role in a pick-and-roll offense could fill the void that LaMarcus Aldridge left behind and solidify a solid "big three" in Rip City.
A slight hiccup is Jordan's lucrative contract and the $24.1 million that's guaranteed for 2018-19 to a center that basically gives you some dunks on offense and defense that has seen a decline as father time begins to take over. While many fans would be enamored with the idea of Dame coupled with Jordan and back-screen sets for C.J. McCollum, it seems as if the Trail Blazers may be backing off for now, via Sean Maghear of Oregon Live, Wojnarowski reports:
"I think that for Portland, they checked in with the Clippers on DeAndre Jordan - obviously Neil Olshey drafted DeAndre Jordan when he was the GM of the Clippers - I'm told that Portland has backed away a bit from that.
If you're Portland and you do DeAndre Jordan, hypothetically, you're locked in financially; that's your team, and you're giving DeAndre an extension at 30 years old for four years or five years or whatever it would be and you better be ready for that to be your team -- and is that team good enough? As of this weekend I had been told that Portland was not - again, I wouldn't say they were ever aggressive, I think they have to make the calls, everyone is going to make the call - but that doesn't seem to be a road they're going to go down. That could always change before Thursday."
Almost seems like a no-brainer to stay away from Jordan here, while in the short term the Trail Blazers would be appetizing, Jordan can't give you that much more in wins than Jusuf Nurkic could. Playing decent and glimpses of greatness before an injury, Portland should just pause for the development of Nurkic or the emergence of Zack Collins who could possibly steal his spot in the rotation after seeing more minutes as of late. Portland will be in better shape by trying to offload bad contracts and gain a draft pick.
Offload Time
The Trail Blazers have some very bad contracts they need to move and while I believe one may be impossible(Evan Turner), there could be at least one option to make something out of nothing. With the fifth-largest payroll in the NBA and not much to show for in exchange the front office will be looking to move one of the following guys from multiple reports: Evan Turner, Moe Harkless, and Meyers Leonard represent three of the five highest-paid contracts on Portland's roster.
While Turner may have the least chance of being moved, Harkless and Leonard can still be looked at as developing projects for many organizations. With upwards $40 million owed to Turner and his below-average play, Portland is likely stuck with that deal, but with Harkless being a stretch-four who has the tools to be a point-forward in an offense when playing well—remains the most intriguing of the three.
In 2016-17 Harkless averaged 10 points per game, shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55.8 percent playing a career-high 28.9 minutes per game. At a point of being nearly out of the rotation in 2017-18 at only 19.7 minutes per game, it's clear that Head Coach Terry Stotts has moved on from Harkless and offloading Harkless' contract of more than $27 million going forward(Harkless' contract is guaranteed through 2019-20)would pay dividends for Portland.
Evan Turner is an aging vet known for his defense and can occasionally give you some quality minutes if asked. Meyers Leonard . . . well, he's just an aging vet and any fan of the Trail Blazers can't be quite sure what Leonard is good at.
In six seasons, Leonard has not once amassed over 20 minutes per contest, except for one season in which he averaged 8.4 points and finished with an average of 21.9 minutes per game during the 2015-16 season. In a league that is transitioning to pace and space accompanied by seven-footers who shoot the three-ball well, Leonard is a career 37.5 percent from three with his best percentage this season at 50 percent through only 18 games. Certainly not appealing, but this year may be as good as any to finally get rid of the nearly $27 million owed to Leonard through 2019-20 as his potential has never looked better.
Players to Watch
Aaron Gordon is on an upwards trajectory and the Orlando Magic could be inclined to listen to an array of offers. Everyone knows to buy low and sell high, and Gordon would instantly add wins to almost every roster in the NBA with his improved play and ability to be a legitimate scorer in this league now. While Gordon would carry a hefty price tag, an even better reward is gained from a player with his DNA. Gordon is averaging a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds this season and shooting an effective field-goal percentage of 51.5 and his best three-point percentage of 34.6. With Orlando possibly blowing everything up down South, the Trail Blazers should be doing everything in their power to make them listen before time's up.
A final move and what most would deem a home run hire would be the potential of a Rip City reunion with former wing spot-up shooter, Will Barton. Barton, a Damian Lillard favorite, could bolster the roster while also potentially not skipping a beat.
With three years under his belt in the Northwest, Barton would return as a much-improved player and a piece to the puzzle to elevate Portland into the top 5 of the West and keep them there. Barton is now a perennial three-and-D weapon for the Nuggets who averages 14.4 points per game, five rebounds and five assists. Barton is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018 and the Nuggets would be wise to get something for his services as today's NBA Free Agency market will set the price exponentially higher for Barton's body of work.
The NBA's trade deadline is set for Thursday, February 8 at 3 p.m. ET.
It was nearly two weeks ago that Damian Lillard reportedly had a sit-down meeting with owner Paul Allen to discuss the plans to strengthen the roster and the direction of the organization. With Lillard's commitment reaffirmed and the Trail Blazers currently on a skid after losing three straight, the up-and-down Trail Blazers desperately need to make a move ahead of the deadline going into the heart of their NBA schedule.
The Rumor Mill
On Monday's edition of The Lowe Podcast, ESPN NBA Insiders Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski discussed Center DeAndre Jordan and the possibility of Portland adding the athletic center to its roster. Jordan, known for his athleticism and established role in a pick-and-roll offense could fill the void that LaMarcus Aldridge left behind and solidify a solid "big three" in Rip City.
A slight hiccup is Jordan's lucrative contract and the $24.1 million that's guaranteed for 2018-19 to a center that basically gives you some dunks on offense and defense that has seen a decline as father time begins to take over. While many fans would be enamored with the idea of Dame coupled with Jordan and back-screen sets for C.J. McCollum, it seems as if the Trail Blazers may be backing off for now, via Sean Maghear of Oregon Live, Wojnarowski reports:
"I think that for Portland, they checked in with the Clippers on DeAndre Jordan - obviously Neil Olshey drafted DeAndre Jordan when he was the GM of the Clippers - I'm told that Portland has backed away a bit from that.
If you're Portland and you do DeAndre Jordan, hypothetically, you're locked in financially; that's your team, and you're giving DeAndre an extension at 30 years old for four years or five years or whatever it would be and you better be ready for that to be your team -- and is that team good enough? As of this weekend I had been told that Portland was not - again, I wouldn't say they were ever aggressive, I think they have to make the calls, everyone is going to make the call - but that doesn't seem to be a road they're going to go down. That could always change before Thursday."
Almost seems like a no-brainer to stay away from Jordan here, while in the short term the Trail Blazers would be appetizing, Jordan can't give you that much more in wins than Jusuf Nurkic could. Playing decent and glimpses of greatness before an injury, Portland should just pause for the development of Nurkic or the emergence of Zack Collins who could possibly steal his spot in the rotation after seeing more minutes as of late. Portland will be in better shape by trying to offload bad contracts and gain a draft pick.
Offload Time
The Trail Blazers have some very bad contracts they need to move and while I believe one may be impossible(Evan Turner), there could be at least one option to make something out of nothing. With the fifth-largest payroll in the NBA and not much to show for in exchange the front office will be looking to move one of the following guys from multiple reports: Evan Turner, Moe Harkless, and Meyers Leonard represent three of the five highest-paid contracts on Portland's roster.
While Turner may have the least chance of being moved, Harkless and Leonard can still be looked at as developing projects for many organizations. With upwards $40 million owed to Turner and his below-average play, Portland is likely stuck with that deal, but with Harkless being a stretch-four who has the tools to be a point-forward in an offense when playing well—remains the most intriguing of the three.
In 2016-17 Harkless averaged 10 points per game, shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55.8 percent playing a career-high 28.9 minutes per game. At a point of being nearly out of the rotation in 2017-18 at only 19.7 minutes per game, it's clear that Head Coach Terry Stotts has moved on from Harkless and offloading Harkless' contract of more than $27 million going forward(Harkless' contract is guaranteed through 2019-20)would pay dividends for Portland.
Evan Turner is an aging vet known for his defense and can occasionally give you some quality minutes if asked. Meyers Leonard . . . well, he's just an aging vet and any fan of the Trail Blazers can't be quite sure what Leonard is good at.
In six seasons, Leonard has not once amassed over 20 minutes per contest, except for one season in which he averaged 8.4 points and finished with an average of 21.9 minutes per game during the 2015-16 season. In a league that is transitioning to pace and space accompanied by seven-footers who shoot the three-ball well, Leonard is a career 37.5 percent from three with his best percentage this season at 50 percent through only 18 games. Certainly not appealing, but this year may be as good as any to finally get rid of the nearly $27 million owed to Leonard through 2019-20 as his potential has never looked better.
Players to Watch
Aaron Gordon is on an upwards trajectory and the Orlando Magic could be inclined to listen to an array of offers. Everyone knows to buy low and sell high, and Gordon would instantly add wins to almost every roster in the NBA with his improved play and ability to be a legitimate scorer in this league now. While Gordon would carry a hefty price tag, an even better reward is gained from a player with his DNA. Gordon is averaging a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds this season and shooting an effective field-goal percentage of 51.5 and his best three-point percentage of 34.6. With Orlando possibly blowing everything up down South, the Trail Blazers should be doing everything in their power to make them listen before time's up.
A final move and what most would deem a home run hire would be the potential of a Rip City reunion with former wing spot-up shooter, Will Barton. Barton, a Damian Lillard favorite, could bolster the roster while also potentially not skipping a beat.
With three years under his belt in the Northwest, Barton would return as a much-improved player and a piece to the puzzle to elevate Portland into the top 5 of the West and keep them there. Barton is now a perennial three-and-D weapon for the Nuggets who averages 14.4 points per game, five rebounds and five assists. Barton is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018 and the Nuggets would be wise to get something for his services as today's NBA Free Agency market will set the price exponentially higher for Barton's body of work.
The NBA's trade deadline is set for Thursday, February 8 at 3 p.m. ET.