Fansided

NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Portland Trail Blazers

By Jerry Christodoulatos

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 19: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers stands on the court during Game 3 of the Western Conference playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on April 19, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 19: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers stands on the court during Game 3 of the Western Conference playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on April 19, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

1. Jusuf Nurkic

The Bosnian big man is going to be one of the league’s most intriguing restricted free agency cases this summer. When the Blazers flipped Mason Plumlee for Jusuf Nurkic at the 2017 trade deadline, young Jusuf’s stock was at a career nadir. Nurkic’s unique brashness and showmanship made him somewhat of an NBA folk hero early in his career. After a nice rookie season though, Nurkic’s career progress slowed. He missed much of the 2016 season due to injury and the emergence of Nikola Jokic as Denver’s franchise guy displaced the Jusuf within the Denver rotation.

The trade in February 2017 energized the floundering Blazers. Having escaped the limbo of the Nuggets frontcourt, Jusuf transformed into a player that we barely recognized. For the better part of 20 games, Nurkic was absolutely en fuego, showing off a level of skill and nuance that few believed he poessesed. He improved dramatically in numerous facets of the game, tossing out assists at a career best rate, snagging tons of rebounds and revealing a surprisingly smooth touch near the basket.

This past season Jusuf broadly sustained his 2017 production levels, but he definitely provided a glimpse of why he’s regarded as a frustrating player. His shot selection was curious to put things mildly. Nurkic substantially increased his diet of mid-range shots last year. He can shoot those pick and pop shots at a decent rate, but given Portland’s struggles to create easy offense many of those looks were ill-advised. In addition, Nurkic seems to fling up at least one or two miserable shots from floater range per game. If Nurk could eliminate some of these crappy shot choices from his game, he would become so much more efficient offensively.

At the other end of the floor, Nurk was inconsistent for much of the past season. Portland’s most frequent starting lineups held up well defensively with Nurkic patrolling the paint. But he’s prone to bouts of inattentiveness and lackadaisical play. That’s not exactly reassuring for a guy that’s up for a potential payday.

Next: NBA Free Agency 2018: 20 best players available

Whether or not the Blazers keep the big Bosnian is going to come down to price. Nurkic is a confident guy and he may be expecting a big contract. The rich deal he’s looking for might not be in the cards this summer though. With the Nets impacting their space this summer in the Dwight Howard deal, one more cap space team has bit the dust. The list of potential suitors for restricted free agents and MLE guys is thinning out, especially in the center market.

Will Nurkic even get an offer sheet that starts around full MLE level? That’s difficult to say. If Jusuf commands a salary that pays something like $10 million annually, Portland should match. But if his market is indeed more robust and that price tag goes up, the Blazers will have to seriously consider letting Nurk walk. We should keep in mind however, that Nurkic seems like the type of player that would be inclined to be on himself; he might take the risk of accepting his qualifying offer and trying to get a big contract as an unrestricted free agent next summer. That might not be such a bad outcome for Portland.

Home/NBA Free Agency