Portland Trail Blazers: 3 second chance players to pursue this off-season

Second chance candidate three – Dennis Smith Jr

Dennis Smith Jr, also of the New York Knicks, is in the last chance saloon in the last year of his rookie deal in 2020/21.

Drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2017, Smith only played 34 games for the Knicks this season after the Mavericks traded him there in 2018. The emergence of Luka Doncic, and Smith’s inability to finish or shoot at an efficient level, meant that he was expendable.

After a promising rookie season, albeit on a bad Mavs team, the drafting of Doncic meant Smith was moved to the Knicks, where he played after the trade. This season though, he had a family tragedy and then a dysfunctional Knicks team to deal with.

Still only 22 though, Smith has 12 months to put it all together.

Smith is one of the most explosive players in the NBA. Though this doesn’t always mean success at the highest levels, if he can get his finishing and three-point shooting on track, he could be a starting point guard in the NBA. In his second year on the Mavs, he shot 35 percent from three on decent volume.

His touch around the rim is an issue, but hopefully, with a long off-season, he has worked on his shooting and finishing. Smith is an excellent offensive rebounder; he forces turnovers and blocks shots as well. He does have some NBA skills.

Like Knicks teammate Frank, maybe spending time on a team like the Blazers with their strong developmental systems may help him progress.

As a backup point guard who can draw fouls, get to the rim, and initiate offense, Smith could help the Blazers bench unit. I would dangle some second-round picks in front of the Knicks and see if they could take Smith off James Dolan and Co’s hands.

None of these players are particularly exciting acquisitions, but they could be under the radar moves to improve the Blazers’ roster. With a lack of tangible assets, this is the type of move Olshey may look to make.