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Projected Salary Cap Still Won’t Help Blazer’s Financial Future

By Dayton Brown

April 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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April 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 121-109. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

New 2017-18 player salary projected numbers are too low for the Blazers to keep every current contract on the roster.

Some of those generously wealthy contracts given out by the Portland Trailblazers’ front office during the last offseason may not live to see the second year. Well, not in Portland, at the very least.

The luxury tax level is also going to rise to $122M in 2017-18, up from this season’s $113M level. The good news is that teams will now have more money to spend on players during this summer. The bad news for the Blazers is that, even with the increased cap, the team is still going to be well over the maximum amount.

Current contracts put the Blazers at $133M of guaranteed money, given to players for the 2017-18 season. Ouch. $32 million of extra money puts Portland in an impossible position. The team doesn’t have the roster space or the money to sign additional players to the team. (Excluding veteran minimum and rookie scale contracts.) Being $20 million over the tax level is even worse. That means owner Paul Allen would have to pay even more money annually to keep the team intact.

The only way Portland can get close to the ceiling is by using the amnesty clause or trading players for cheaper contracts and/or draft picks. Some players are off the table.

Other players such as Meyers Leonard, Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe, Moe Harkless, and Ed Davis are all seemingly expendable. Any of those guys and their (arguably) overly-paid contracts can be traded away to make some roster and cap room.

Releasing Festus Ezeli using the amnesty clause means the Blazers won’t have to pay the remaining money due on said contract. With Ezeli gone, Portland is a step closer to fixing their financial woes. Keep with Rip City Project for breaking roster news.

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