The Portland Trailblazers made key moves in Free Agency to upgrade its overall roster. Damian Lillard firmly asserted himself into the superstar stratosphere, averaging a career-high 30 points and eight assists on 46.3 percent shooting and 40.1 percent from three. The 29-year-old carried a team ravaged by injuries to the eighth-seed last season.
Despite his impressive year, the Blazers finished the season with a 35-39 record and were assisted by the pandemic to get to the playoffs. Making the post-season was a nice achievement but getting there with a sub-500 record is nothing to write home about.
Portland was an elite offensive team posting a sensational 113.2 offensive rating (third) but gave it all back defensively leaking 114.3 points per game (27th).
Portland Trailblazers’ Offseason Propels Team to Contender Status
General Manager Neil Oshley had a plan and executed it beautifully. Let’s grade Oshley’s deals.
Robert Covington
The Rockets are finalizing a trade to send Robert Covington to Portland for Trevor Ariza and 2020 first-round pick and 2021 protected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020
The acquisition of Robert Covington helps solve many of the team’s defensive issues. Covington isn’t a great one on one defender but is an elite team defender. His quick hands, anticipatory skills, and ability to read the offense allows him to cover defensive mistakes. Lillard and CJ McCollum aren’t the greatest defenders thus Covington helps them tremendously.
Covington is also a solid but streaky three-point shooter, making 35.6 percent for his career but his true value comes on the defensive side of the ball. While it cost two first-round picks, this move was necessary for Portland’s championship aspirations.
Grade: B
Enes Kanter
Portland is acquiring Boston's Enes Kanter in a three-way deal with Memphis, sources tell ESPN. Memphis gets Mario Hezonjia and 30th pick (Desmond Bane) from draft night deal as part of trade too. Celtics get a future Memphis draft consideration.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 20, 2020
Perhaps one of the most popular players in the NBA, Enes Kanter returns for a second stint after spending last season with the Boston Celtics. The Turkish big man was exceptional in his lone season with the Blazers in 2018-19 before being surprisingly released. He arrives back to give Portland an offensive punch off the bench.
He is not a defensive force by any means but Kanter is a stats monster no matter how much time he gets. Considering they traded a net negative in Mario Hezonja to bring him back, this is good value.
Grade: B
Derrick Jones Jr.
Free agent Derrick Jones has agreed to a two-year, $19M deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 21, 2020
Assessing where Derrick Jones Jr. fits in this equation will be interesting given his lack of shooting ability. However, Jones Jr. is a fantastic athlete, superb defender, and a human highlight reel. Jones averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds on 53 percent shooting.
The 22-year-old’s defensive game resembles something similar to Covington. While his team defense isn’t as good as Roco’s, his on-ball defense is great as he has excellent lateral movement. It is surprising Miami elected not to bring the forward back but as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Solid move on a team-friendly contract.
Grade: B+
Rodney Hood
Second year on Hood deal is non-guaranteed, per source. https://t.co/BuSgwNbe19
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 21, 2020
After playing 21 games last season, Rodney Hood tore his Achilles tendon and spent the entire season at home. The 27-year-old wing is a walking bucket and really emerged as a nice sixth man prior to his injury.
Portland is showing loyalty to Hood, re-signing him to a nice deal just above the mid-level exception. The Blazers showed some sense with the contract by implementing a team option in year two.
Grade: B
Carmelo Anthony
Anthony wanted to show loyalty to the Trail Blazers, who gave him his opportunity to return to the NBA last season. He understands what to expect in Portland, where he will play a key role on a potential contender. https://t.co/3AiNteh9GN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 21, 2020
Carmelo Anthony earned every bit of this contract and Portland made the right move bringing him back. After several seasons, Anthony finally looked comfortable in his role as a catch and shoot player, performing excellently in the bubble. Anthony averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds on 43 percent shooting and a solid 38.5 percent from three.
The future Hall of Famer has been through hell in back the past few seasons but his confidence appears to be back. Lillard has supported Anthony and it’s the vote of confidence he sorely needed. Great for Anthony and great for Portland.
Grade: B+
Harry Giles
This is a low-cost, high reward deal for Portland while it’s curious for Harry Giles. The former first-round pick spent the past two seasons with one of the worst franchises in the NBA who inexplicably declined his third-year option. Giles averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds on 55.4 percent shooting.
Giles is unlikely to see any real game time with Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter in the fold but he has shown flashes as a nice offensive big man. Should Portland suffer an injury, he is a nice fill-in and could learn a lot in a stable organization.
From a playing time standpoint, this is a horrendous move by Giles. For Portland, it’s a neutral move with the potential to be positive.
Grade: B-
Conclusion
Portland has made some intelligent deals this off-season, plugging holes the roster has. The Blazers couldn’t defend their own shadow last year and now look like one of the biggest winners of the off-season.
One of the deals that I am split on involves Covington not because of fit but the amount Portland gave up. Two first-round picks is an overpay considering the Rockets are a mess. Covington is one of the league’s best team defenders but his struggles on-ball really showed in last year’s playoffs. Still, I love the aggressiveness shown by Oshley, signaling to its stars that they are not content with being just a team.
Portland should be one of the premier teams this season but that Covington overpay stops their offseason from being a complete home run.
Overall Grade: B+
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
