NBA Free Agency 2016: Power Ranking Day 1 signings
By Mark Gunnels
Former Ohio State great Evan Turner is heading out west.
Heading into free agency, the Portland Trail Blazers had their eyes set on reuniting friends Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons, but as that fell apart, Turner was plan B.
Turner will bring instant defense and a certain toughness Portland needs on the perimeter. In his Boston role, Turner made the most of it, as he averaged 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game off the bench.
It’s unclear whether or not Turner will start at small forward or come off the bench at this point, but at the price of $70 million over four years, one must assume he’ll be starting.
Luckily, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum is more than capable shooter from distance because Turner is an awful outside shooter. For his career, he’s a 30% shooter from three, but this past season, Turner only shot 24% from outside.
Although Portland made the playoffs, this team has to get better defensively, as they allowed opponents to average 104.3 points per game on them, which is why this move makes sense.
This signing isn’t great or terrible, but the $70 million turns me off a bit.
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