Free agency options continue to weaken for the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been disappointingly quiet. Of the remaining free agents, Portland's top realistic target should be Amir Coffey.
After buying out Deandre Ayton, the Blazers had access to the MLE without dipping into the tax. That, combined with the fact that they aggressively traded for Jrue Holiday, suggested they could make a splash in free agency. Unfortunately, in typical Joe Cronin fashion, the Blazers remain on the sidelines while opposing teams continue to bolster their roster.
Blazers must make free agency splash to catch up in the West
There's still time to try to catch up in the wild West. But the bad news is, the top remaining free agents -- Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, Jonathan Kuminga, Cam Thomas, Chris Paul, Al Horford, etc. -- are either restricted, outside of Portland's $14.1 million price range, likely wouldn't want to join a rebuilding situation, or some combination of the three.
After narrowing it down to realistic targets, Coffey is the best the Blazers can do. That shows how badly the Blazers and Cronin fumbled free agency. But the silver lining is that Coffey is an underrated wing who would be a valuable addition to Portland's roster. Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus recently ranked Coffey as the ninth-best remaining free agent.
Following the addition of Yang Hansen and subtractions of Ayton, Jabari Walker, and Dalano Banton (who remains a free agent), the Blazers currently have 13 players under contract for next season. They need to make an additional move, but also want to continue preserving financial flexibility, hence their lack of free agency activity leading up to this point. Coffey makes perfect sense from that standpoint, as he can be had at a reasonable value while still addressing roster needs.
The Blazers have their backcourt solidified after the Holiday trade and a plethora of centers after the Hansen selection. They could use more wing/forward depth, especially following Walker's departure.
Most importantly, they are in dire need of shooting. Enter Coffey, who connected on 40.9 percent of his three-point attempts (3.4 per game) along with 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists this past season. His shooting alone makes him a much better fit for Portland's roster over bringing back the inefficient Banton.
Coffey would be a bargain in free agency, and the Blazers need to make him a top priority. They can't afford to keep standing pat while the gap between them and the rest of the West continues to widen.