There is no Portland Trail Blazer who is a worse fit for the team, on-the-court and in the checkbook, than Evan Turner. And unfortunately, he probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Evan Turner has become a four-letter word. With all the problematic pieces on this current Portland Trail Blazers team, he is often the one most pointed at and watched with gritted teeth.
Only two years ago, Turner looked destined to be a high-quality role player and complementary playmaker. Now, Portland can’t wait to get rid of him.
Why is that?
Here are five sad truths about Evan Turner and his place on this Blazers team:
1. His contract was a major mistake.
Perhaps the biggest blemish still on the Portland Trail Blazers’ payroll from the summer of ’16 spending frenzy is Turner. During that offseason, he inked a contract with the Blazers for four-years and $70-million.
When this offer was first made public, many ESPN Insiders were baffled. Three (Amin Elhassan, Kevin Pelton, and Bradford Doolittle) voted Turner’s contract as the worst of the summer.
Turner has done little to prove his doubters wrong. If anything, the new scenery in Portland has led the 29-year-old to regress through his prime.
In his two seasons as a Blazer, Turner has averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. He has shot only 43.7 percent from the floor and 29.2 percent from deep on 1.7 attempts per game.
These numbers are worse than the ones he put up in his two years with the Celtics. There, he averaged ten points, five rebounds, and five assists. He shot slightly better from the field (44.2 percent) and slightly worse from beyond the arc, albeit on fewer attempts (1.2).
Evan Turner looks like just another case of Brad Stevens making his players look better inside his offense and creating a mirage of their value to other teams. He joins the ranks of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Jae Crowder.
As it stands now, Evan Turner is the third-highest paid player on the Blazers behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
He is a strap on the Blazers payroll straitjacket that prevents them from adding more efficient and valuable pieces around their elite backcourt and promising big man core.