NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Portland Trail Blazers
4. Ed Davis
In the evolving NBA, big men of Ed Davis’ ilk have become progressively devalued. If a guy has no shooting range and isn’t a surefire deterrent at the rim, he generally has a tough time cracking most rotations. Despite the clear limitations in his game, Davis is damn effective whenever he’s on the floor. He understands his role and plays to his strengths. Those are exactly the kinds of characteristics teams want out of a quality role player.
Over his past three seasons in Portland, Davis has gotten some recognition for his game after years of being undervalued. Though many have questioned his work ethic in the past, Davis has largely rendered such criticism ridiculous. He’s not the most nuanced player, but his skills fit well on this Portland team. Davis has turned into a vital bench piece for Portland, featuring as a dangerous pick and roll dive man with a reasonable degree of defensive versatility.
On offense, Davis contributes mostly as a screener and rebounder. He sets crunching picks for Dame and CJ, freeing them up to shoot and cleaning up a high percentage of their misses. Ed is dangerous in the pick and roll as well though. He’s a solid finisher at the rim and can get up for alley-oops too. Davis also finished fifth in the league in offensive rebound rate last year, which was immensely important for a team that struggled to create easy offense. His garbage man act made up for some of Portland’s offensive stagnancy.
At the defensive end of the floor Davis isn’t exactly a barricade at the rim, but he certainly provides value. He can competently handle the burdens of playing pick and roll defense in Portland’s conventional and fairly conservative scheme. Davis’ primary duty last season when he played a ton of backup center was to drop into the paint and protect the rim. He’s adequate in that role at the very least. In the past, when he played more power forward alongside Meyers Leonard, Davis demonstrated some aptitude switching onto stretchier guys on the perimeter.
Ed Davis will be on Portland’s books with a cap hold worth $12 million in July. Davis getting a contract anywhere near that figure seems almost impossible. His last deal (signed in 2015) was worth $20 million over three years; with the center market getting tighter over the past few seasons, he’s not going to be an especially hot commodity in free agency. Perhaps a similar deal that falls within the $15-$18 million range over three years would suit both sides.