Blazers: Portland Becoming A Free Agent Destination?
Can the Blazers land a top level free agent this summer?
The Portland Trail Blazers are used to being secondary options for free agents. Brian Grant might be the biggest name to ever choose Portland over other NBA offers. Even Hedo Turkoglu (thankfully) chose Toronto over Portland. With the salary cap going way up this offseason, it would appear even harder than normal for the Blazers to lure any big free agent to Rip City. However, the landscape of the NBA is changing.
This change in the NBA is a blessing for Portland. No longer does a large market mean more off-the-court dollars to be made. Star players don’t need to play in big markets to build global brands. This is a testament to the work David Stern and now Adam Silver have done to grow the league (a little help from social media hasn’t hurt either). Kevin Durant can be one of the most popular players in the NBA and continue to lace it up for Oklahoma City.
The best example of this is what has happened in New York and Los Angeles over the last few summers. Both cities have watched the Knicks and Lakers get snubbed in free agent negotiations. The biggest free agents of the past two offseasons signed with Cleveland (LeBron James) and San Antonio (You know who…). While the big markets still get meetings with all the top free agents, those meetings are becoming more of a formality than a serious recruiting pitch. Why would a top free agent go to a floundering Lakers or Knicks organization? Why not join forces with other stars and stable organizations?
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Free Agents will undoubtedly put more thought into the team they sign with. They can build a personal brand globally on a small market team. Coaching, continuity, winning, team chemistry and playing time are higher on the priority list in free agents’ minds now. This is great news for Portland.
With the recent extension of Head Coach Terry Stotts, the continuity and solid coaching have to be viewed as a positive for the Blazers organization. Even after just four years, Stotts is the fifth-longest tenured coach in the NBA. By all accounts, he is a favorite among players. Besides Stotts, the assistant coaches are some of the best in the NBA and earned several interviews for head coaching positions this offseason.
Winning and team chemistry might be the theme of Damian Lillard’s NBA career to this point. Many stories came out during their surprisingly successful campaign this year about his leadership skills. People want to play with Lillard. This doesn’t always happen with star players. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were notoriously ruthless as teammates throughout their career. While those two are clearly among the greats of all-time, you could also argue that they were lucky to play in big markets with other big name players. Both of their careers could have played out much differently if either of the ultra-competitive stars were drafted into dysfunctional, small-market organizations.
To bring it back to Lillard, the competitiveness it takes to be great in the NBA usually doesn’t translate into the most caring individual on-and-off the court. Star players do not always get the best out of their teammates (See James Harden and the Rockets this season). Lillard’s demeanor is a competitive advantage for Portland.
Playing time will obviously depend on the position. Before looking at other free agents; the Blazers have to figure out if they are to keep Allen Crabbe, Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard (all restricted free agents).
There are two factors that will likely always hurt the Blazers chances at luring in-demand players to Portland: the weather and income tax. Any sane human would consider playing for a team in Florida or Texas due to those factors. Not only will you save millions on your NBA contract in taxes, but it isn’t rainy and cold from September to May. The Blazers have to hope that the no sales tax and beautiful summers are enough to negate these Portland deficiencies.
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Even though Portland fans are used to being overlooked in free agency by big name players, the NBA has changed substantially in recent years. Portland might be higher on the list of destinations for free agents than everyone realizes. The Blazers do not need a massive star this offseason, but they do need a solid defensive big man to pair with their star backcourt. With every team having money to throw around this summer, the Trail Blazers would normally have no shot. Fortunately, the Blazers possess many qualities other organizations do not have. Hopefully, potential free agents rightfully prioritize these qualities.