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Blazers out with the old, in with the who? Bad finances mean farewell to Ed Davis

By Matt George Moore

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 30: Ed Davis
PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 30: Ed Davis /
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The NBA’s free agent period began at 12:01 a.m. ET, Sunday, July 1. And it didn’t take long for Blazers fans to start shaking their heads in confusion and dismay.

Goodbye, Ed Davis.

Of all the Blazers-related things we thought we’d be typing this gray Sunday morning in Rip City, that one was way at the bottom of the list.

In fact, it feels like it wasn’t even on the list at all. (It was, of course.)

The Blazers let Davis go; he’s agreed to a one-year, $4.4 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

I suppose there was always the possibility — there’s always a possibility — that things would go in this direction. But let’s take a moment to reflect on what the loss of Davis means for the Blazers moving forward.

Blazers and Ed Davis

A couple of tweets do a good job of explaining how we all felt when we heard the news.

The first — from Damian Lillard — expresses how the Blazers players are likely feeling this morning.

And the second — from NBC Sports Northwest’s Jason Quick — expresses how those of us in the media are feeling right about now (mostly puzzled):

Wasn’t that long ago that Davis expressed his desire to stay in Portland. And as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Joe Freeman, Davis said last December:

"I’m hoping that we can make something work here this summer, where I’m here long-term. Hopefully I can retire here. But you just never know. The team is going to do what’s best for the organization and you just have to respect it."

Well, as it turns out, what’s “best for the organization” depends more on their disastrous and prohibitive financial situation than what’s best for the team on the court.

Olshey and the Blazers’ Financials

Portland is in a bind of its own making. (OK — of President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey’s making.) The fact that Rip City is befuddled by the loss of Ed Davis is, perhaps, due to the fact that people aren’t quite hip to just how awful the Trail Blazers’ books look right now.

More from Blazers News

The Blazers already have more than $110 million committed to players for the 2018-2019 season. And with the loss of Pat Connaughton, Shabazz Napier and now Ed Davis, they’ll have to fill some roster spots on the super cheap.

That is to say: without exceeding the luxury cap (about $123.7 million for the 2018-2019 season).

And they still have to sign Jusuf Nurkic.

There’s simply no room for an NBA team to operate under those kind of self-imposed financial restraints.

Bye, Ed

So good-bye to Ed Davis and his 58.2 percent field goal shooting, his 7.4 rebounds in just 18.9 minutes per game, and his steady and even-keeled leadership and demeanor.

Davis was always more than the sum of his stats, and Rip City is going to miss him. He’s gonna get a warm welcome back when the Nets come to town. You can count on that.

Who will take his place? First dibs go will likely go to Zach Collins, Caleb Swanigan and/or Meyers Leonard. Or whomever the Blazers can nab on the cheap in free agency.

Rip City awoke to a new reality on Sunday morning. Actually, it’s the same ol’ reality — just more real somehow.

The Blazers have little room to make deals that might make this team better. Olshey has this franchise stuck in a bad financial rut.

Next: Michael Beasley could be the best free agent for Blazers

And it’s not going to get any better until the heavy contracts that hang around this franchise’s neck like an albatross are off the books for good.

Farewell, Ed Davis. And thanks for the memories.