The Portland Trail Blazers struggled through inconsistency to finish with a 41-41 record this season. While they made the playoffs, clinching the eighth seed in the Western Conference offered little hope to advance with a first round matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Portland was swept in four games. While few criticized their postseason performance matched up against the NBA’s most talented team, the reality is that the Trail Blazers were in that spot in the first place based on their regular season regression. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are locked in as the core players on the roster but management will have to do a better job building around them. Here is a look at Portland’s offseason plan.
3 Things The Trail Blazers Have To Work On
1. Tighten Up Defensively
The Trail Blazers recorded the 12th-best defensive efficiency rating in the NBA in the 20 games that Jusuf Nurkic was in their lineup. Nurkic is expected to be back and healthy to start next year but Portland must commit to improving at the defensive end of the floor. The Trail Blazers were among the worst defensive teams in the NBA without Nurkic. Lillard and McCollum need to be better at that end but they also need more help. Portland has the offensive firepower to contend in the Western Conference next season. It’s their potential improvement at the defensive end of the floor that could help them finish higher than the eighth spot in 2017-18.
2. Determine The Frontcourt Situation
Nurkic is a sure thing up front for Portland. However, the Trail Blazers need to figure things out and determine their frontcourt situation. Meyers Leonard is an intriguing piece as a stretch five but he is definitely a defensive liability and could be of more use to Portland as a trade chip. Noah Vonleh and Ed Davis are on the roster so the Trail Blazers do have some flexibility up front. Al-Farouq Aminu came off the bench when Nurkic was healthy and considering the emergence of Maurice Harkless he might be expendable as well. Portland has plenty of option to choose from. The key will be figuring out which trio gives them the best chance to contend and sticking with that group.
3. Find A Complimentary Wing
The Trail Blazers are in a unique situation with two guards that have similar skill sets in Lillard and McCollum. The best solution might be finding a capable wing that can compliment that duo. Lillard and McCollum are both electric at the offensive end so the key for the three-spot might be a wing that can play defense and help cover up some of their liabilities in their own end. Meanwhile, that player would also need to be able to stretch the floor with the three-ball and help create space for Lillard and McCollum. Portland has its work cut out trying to build a capable contender around its start guard tandem. Landing a capable complimentary wing might very well be a key to success.
Key Free Agents
The Trail Blazers 2017-18 roster is pretty much set with the exception of trades. Portland has all of its key players under contract for multiple years including the tandem of Lillard and McCollum locked up through 2020-21.
The main issue facing the Blazers is that McCollum’s contract kicks in next year, which will eat away at most of their cap space. This year, McCollum was on the books for $3.2 million. Next year he comes in at $23.9 million. That means the Blazers are expected to be well beyond the luxury tax limit next year with a projected team salary of $137 million. That really cuts into their flexibility.
Anderson Varejao is set to come off the books this offseason and the Trail Blazers will let him walk. He was a veteran presence but at this point, he’s nothing more than a roster spot. At the same time, it’s worth noting that Varejao made $9.3 million last year, so the Blazers will have some freedom.
Portland has some flexibility in terms of finding some help in free agency but the more likely path will be exploring the trade market this offseason.
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