NBA Free Agency 2018: One signing every team should make

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PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 17: Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Portland Trail Blazers — Jusuf Nurkic

Jusuf Nurkic’s free agency is an interesting test for the Trail Blazers. On one hand, they can consider his 2016-17 stint before he got hurt as the maximum of what he’s capable of. On other, they can look at the 2017-18 season where he was just fine and a below average defender and consider that that might just be what he is.

The good news for Portland is that they have some control over the situation, their one real foray into free agency due to their lack of cap space. He’s a restricted free agent too, so they can weigh any offer sheet he signs and determine if it’s worth matching. In a summer where not a lot of teams need centers, maybe that brings Nurkic back at a low cost.

In Nurkic’s favor is that the Blazers don’t have a good way to replace Nurkic. Ed Davis is a free agent and they might not be able to replace him. Zach Collins might be good, but no one really knows yet. Caleb Swanigan, Meyers Leonard and Georgios Papagiannis exist. Nurkic has his issues, but he’s better right now than anyone else on the roster. That, along with the idea that he’s still only 23 and should still get better, is the best argument he has for any kind of significant pay bump on his next contract.

This is a team that is more likely to make a move via trade then free agency. But the Nurkic situation is worth watching.

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