The Blazers’ Cap Hell: This is Fine
And so, the Blazers locked themselves into a core for a long time. Although the cap is going up next year, too, the Blazers are likely to remain capped out. I’m sure they could trade Meyers Leonard or something, and Al-Farouq Aminu went from “surprising contract!” to relatively inexpensive pretty fast. But, with Lillard, Crabbe, Turner, and McCollum all making $17+ million, and every one of Mo Harkless, Aminu, Ed Davis, and Leonard making $6+ million, there’s not much wiggle room in terms of any move that requires cap space; at least for a while.
Most people hate this kind of thing, which the Wizards and Pelicans have notably also done in recent years, but I kinda like it. I mean on the one hand I worry it’s a sign of an owner who doesn’t care that much about winning. Keeping fan favorites (and selling their jerseys) is, a lot of times, about butts in the seats, rather than the franchise’s best bet. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Keeping fans happy is a perfectly reasonable thing for a team to want to do, so long as they’re also aware that fans don’t necessarily make the best GMs and are unhappy with losing no matter who’s doing it.
But I also think cap space is pretty overrated. I know this is because I’m a Dallas Mavericks fan, and that team deserves to have their cap space taken away like a child needs to be dispossessed of a toy they’re hitting someone else with. They basically use it as a tool of torture and despair and I was super happy they maxed Harrison Barnes – even though I didn’t think anyone should come close to maxing Harrison Barnes – because having less money will save them from themselves.
Still, there is a case to be made. After all, no matter what your cap situation, you can always trade matching salaries. And who’s to say in what cases it’s more likely that you’ll be able to trade for a valuable contributor than add one through free agency or fold somebody into cap space? If anyone had to describe a case in which it is more likely you’ll be able to trade to get better than sign anybody, it would certainly sound similar to the Blazers’ situation.
It may be that Allen Crabbe doesn’t live up to his potential, and it’s really likely that Evan Turner won’t. It’s seeming like Meyers Leonard won’t, but hell, he’s being paid $8 million less than Bismack Biyombo now. There is no question that the Blazers are not a championship team as constituted and they’ll have to do something to get there, at some point. But why can’t they do it with an appealing package of players rather than anything else you can do with cap space? I’m not worried for them. They have the major parts of their core – Lillard and McCollum – signed through 2021. That’s a lot of time to figure it out.
So Blazers fans, enjoy watching the same guys for the next long while, and try not to worry too much. I love you.