How the Portland Trail Blazers Could Land Jimmy Butler This Offseason
By Jakob Ashlin
![Jimmy Butler Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers 2019 NBA free agency (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) Jimmy Butler Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers 2019 NBA free agency (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f90b845d6d7c030e8cd5939f23b2da62abb98621cfdcae934ea7df48fd328d2f.jpg)
Adding another superstar would launch the Portland Trail Blazers into title contention, but their lack of cap flexibility hinders their chances. Here is how the Portland Trail Blazers might be in great position to sign Jimmy Butler this summer.
In the era of superteams, the Portland Trail Blazers have found success this season by surrounding their one superstar, Damian Lillard, with very good NBA players including CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Seth Curry. Nevertheless, there is no denying that adding another star to the team could propel them into contention.
Not acquiring another star has certainly not been by choice. The Blazers have had one of the league’s highest payrolls since they signed Evan Turner to a contract worth $70 million in the summer of 2016, and Portland does not offer the large market appeal of Los Angeles or New York City.
Despite these obstacles, the Blazers might be well positioned to acquire Jimmy Butler this summer. Portland could offer exactly what Butler is looking for in a franchise, and Neil Olshey could make it happen through a sign and trade.
Butler, an elite two-way wing, would be an ideal fit for Portland’s roster. He is the perimeter defender and secondary scorer to Lillard that the Blazers have been looking for.
Here is how it could happen.