The Portland Trail Blazers still have two roster spots left after three days of Free Agency.
With three smart signings on the veterans minimum, the Blazers still have either the Midlevel exception, the Bi-Annual exception, or the TaxPayer exception to use. Though this will depend on if they make a trade and how far they want to go into the tax, the Blazers will likely still have around $5 – 6 million to spend on a decent mid-tier free agent.
They also don’t have to spend that much on any of these players, as they can continue to use the veteran’s minimum.
Which 10 players could the Portland Trail Blazers look at who are still available?
Portland Trail Blazers Free Agent #1 – Jeff Teague
The Blazers sure have a lot of shooting on this roster after adding Tony Snell and Ben McLemore in Free Agency to a core of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Anfernee Simons.
What they don’t have, is a lot of passing or shot creation for others in this group.
In recent Milwaukee Bucks champion Jeff Teague, there is an option who has significant post-season experience while being a handy backup point guard.
Teague is definitely a journeyman guard at this point in time, but he is still only 33 and can add value as a backup shot creator. Teague is a career 36 percent shooter, but his strength has always been his floater, as well as getting to the rim.
He isn’t a good defender anymore but could put pressure on the rim next to some of the Blazers shooters while providing great veteran leadership
Portland Trail Blazers Free Agent #2 – Elfrid Payton
Elfrid Payton last played for the New York Knicks in 2021, spending two seasons there, after being drafted and spending most of his rookie deal on the ever-re-building Orlando Magic.
Payton is a pass-first pure point guard, whose shooting has never developed. He has speed in the open court and controls the tempo well in the half-court, but his offensive game personally never came on. He is still a nice fit next to shooters because of his great vision, rebounding prowess and length.
With a six-foot-seven wingspan, he has the defensive tools to help a team like the Blazers, but the inconsistency with his man defense takes the sheen of the great help defense that he plays.
Payton is still a good backup point guard though, he is elite at setting the table for others and could be a nice addition to run the point in the second unit.