NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Portland Trail Blazers
3. Nemanja Bjelica
The Blazers have been in the market for a stretchy big for quite some time now. When the Bulls shopped Nikola Mirotic back in January for example, the Blazers were rumored to ahve substantial interest for the former Madrid man; quite ironically, Mirotic featured as a primary figure in New Orleans’ demolition of Portland later in the year. With few cap exceptions at their disposal, the Blazers won’t be able to obtain anyone as impactful as Mirotic in free agency this summer. And so we come to Nemanja Bjelica. The Serbian forward isn’t the kind of signing that will excite a fan base, but he would add a new wrinkle to Portland’s frontcourt.
Bjelica has a diverse offensive skill set that would make him an exceptional fit on this Blazers team. He can has a smooth long-range jump shot, but he also has some playmaking and passing chops. The Serbian isn’t a sniper from deep, but he can legitimately space the floor. That’s huge for a team that often operated with cramped spacing. Al-Farouq Aminu, Zach Collins and Noah Vonleh absorbed the majority of Portland’s minutes at the four spot last season. Of that trio, only Aminu has veritable 3-point range and he’s average at best from deep; teams are fine sagging off of him and letting him chuck. Adding Bjelica into the mix could give Portland’s dynamic backcourt duo some breathing room on offense. He could help unlock some tricky sets as a partner for CJ and Dame in the pick and roll dance.
Bjelica is generally flammable on defense. A lot of four men can beat him off the dribble and he’s not well equipped to guard some of the stretchier forwards in the league on the perimeter. That’s a bit concerning for a defense that performed well for much of the season, but doesn’t have a sustained record of success. Even so, finding two-way players with few financial exceptions is extremely difficult. Portland probably won’t find any better options at the four than Bjelica.
Nemanja is set to enter restricted free agency this summer, so Minnesota could theoretically match any offer he receives. But Coach Thibodeau hasn’t shown much of an affinity toward Bjelica. He opted to start Taj Gibson next to Karl-Anthony Towns last season. If Thib’s opinion of the stretchy Serb has soured enough the Wolves might not even send a qualifying offer his way, preferring to clear his cap hold form their clogged books immediately. In any case, Bjelica should be available at a relatively cheap price. The Blazers can sign him if they’re willing to dip into the taxpayer MLE.