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Portland Trail Blazers: Grading every free agency move so far

By Austin Carroll

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 27: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat greets Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers at American Airlines Arena on October 27, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 27: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat greets Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers at American Airlines Arena on October 27, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers – Mario Hezonja and Jusuf Nurkic (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
Portland Trail Blazers – Mario Hezonja and Jusuf Nurkic (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Signing Mario Hezonja to the minimum

After watching Al-Farouq Aminu cash out with Orlando and dealing away Evan Turner and Moe Harkless, the Portland Trail Blazers faced a legitimate void of talent at the wing. Especially with the newly drafted Nassir Little expected to take a little time developing as a project, the Blazers needed an immediate answer.

As a former No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Mario Hezonja is more than worth taking a gamble on with a veteran minimum contract. This news comes especially surprising considering there was a good deal of money left on the table before signing this deal, which indicates Hezonja strongly believed Portland would be the best place to showcase his talents.

Between the newly acquired Hezonja, Bazemore, Little and incumbent forward Jake Layman, the Blazers have a true competition for the starting wing role on their hands.

This should spark a healthy level of competition while the team adjusts to all of these new moving parts. Any one of the four players listed above could be in the starting lineup come opening day.

While Hezonja is certainly a flawed prospect and far from the perfect fix for Portland’s problems, he is at the very least worth taking a flyer on at this price. These kind of bargains om the draft and free agency are what might set the table for the Portland Trail Blazers to maintain sustained success for years to come.

Grade: B