Portland Trail Blazers: 3 shooting guards to target in NBA Free Agency
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers, in one season, have moved on from their starting shooting guard of the past in CJ McCollum and passed the torch onto their burgeoning star Anfernee Simons. That doesn’t mean that the team is done identifying talent at the guard slot, though. There’s still plenty of work to be done by Interim General Manager Joe Cronin and the rest of the Blazers brass on the trade wire, in the draft, and the 2022 NBA free agency class.
Josh Hart has excelled since coming to Portland as part of the CJ McCollum trade. His services might warrant a spot on the starting lineup as their feature small forward, though. Keon Johnson may be part of the Portland Trail Blazers’ future as their third or fourth guard, however, from the evidence provided, he may be a year or two away from becoming a meaningful contributor in any capacity.
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3 shooting guards for the Portland Trail Blazers to target in 2022 NBA Free Agency
Luckily, Cronin has opened up multiple avenues for Portland to acquire additional talent. The Trail Blazers could bring in a shooting guard through the draft or in free agency — using outright cap space or through a variety of exceptions they can conjure.
Portland Trail Blazers free agency shooting guard target: Jarrett Culver
Jarrett Culver is one of the players that perfectly fit into the Neil Olshey mold: a former blue-chip prospect whose stock has taken a hit recently.
Since getting drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Culver has struggled to establish himself in the NBA. Through a combination of injuries and stacked young talent in Minny, he never found the opportunity to really blossom.
Now, the former Texas Tech Red Raider finds himself buried again under an abundance of guard talent with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Through two-and-a-half seasons, Culver has only appeared in a little over 2,200 total minutes.
Still, the original traits that made him a high-lottery prospect are still there: defensive versatility, playmaking, size, and promising shot creation.
As Portland has plenty of top-tier talent in the guard spots and a veteran piece waiting in the wings in Josh Hart, they won’t need much from another shooting guard.
Taking a flier on Culver, who should be able to contribute right away with wing defense and playmaking and seeing if he can recover his career trajectory with the Trail Blazers would be a low-risk, low-cost, potentially high-reward move.