Which remaining free agents could be a good fit with the Portland Trail Blazers?
After a wild first official week of the offseason for the Portland Trail Blazers and the rest of the NBA, the headlines surrounding the league have died down a little. Obviously the Los Angeles teams are still dominating the basketball headlines, but there has been a down period in terms of big news stories.
With pretty much all of the major free agents off the board, no acquisition from now on will likely make any breaking news. Filling out depth for many playoff teams could be essential down the road, and there are players who could be valuable for these organizations in a pinch, including the Blazers.
After somewhat unexpectedly trading Jake Layman to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland now has two open roster spots to fill out the squad. They could go in a variety of different directions, from adding a veteran guard as Anfernee Simons insurance, trying to bring in more wing depth, or adding another fill in big.
So who are the best available fits for the Portland Trail Blazers?
GUARDS
A former lottery pick who has not lived up to his draft billing, Burke seems to have bounced back a little during his time in New York., showcasing the flashes that made him such a big draw at Michigan.
While no longer “Linsanity”, Lin is now a seasoned veteran with an NBA championship now under his belt. He can bolster the locker room providing leadership and playoff experience.
WINGS
Another player with championship experience, Shumpert showed last year on Sacramento that he could still play at a solid level. He has a little bit of history with the Blazers, but that most likely would be water under the bridge.
Brewer is still managing to stay in the league 11 years into the league. A wily defender, Brewer would likely not play much, but could help in a pinch.
In my opinion, Holiday is the best player available in free agency, and someone I wanted Portland to get at the trade deadline. He can do a little bit of everything, and could work his way into the Blazers’ rotation.
BIGS
Faried is not far removed from being a quality NBA starter on the Nuggets. The format of the league has not treated him kindly, but every team can use a high energy big like him.
After falling off the face of the NBA, Noah had a mini resurgence last year in Memphis. As a fourth big, he can provide quality production for 10-15 minutes per game.