5 players the Trail Blazers must target if they want to make the playoffs
4. Evan Turner
I don’t think any Trail Blazers fan ever actually dislikes Evan Turner the person. ET always embraced the notion of interacting with fans online, doing charity work, supporting the community, and serving as a locker room leader in Portland.
Evan Turner the player, however, was the catalyst of many controversial debates. Turner was destined to fail the day he signed that four-year, $70 million contract back in July of 2016.
Talented as he may be, he was never going to be the player capable of being the third option on a championship-caliber roster. It’s difficult to continue offering unwavering support to a player when you know their sheer salary is dragging the team down.
As he now enters the final chapter of that ill-fated contract, perhaps it’s time to consider a reunion with the veteran. Having only played 251 total minutes with the Atlanta Hawks this season, the team should have no attachment to Turner and should look to dump some of his $18.6 million.
Considering Anfernee Simons‘ development as a primary ball handler has completely flopped this season and the Mario Hezonja experiment has been an even bigger disaster, it could be worth looking into bringing ET back off the bench.
Even if he never even plays a game for the Trail Blazers, his presence alone could help this Trail Blazers team off life support and assist them in finding the identity they’ve desperately been searching for.