Portland Trail Blazers Face An Offseason Of Uncertainty

After getting run over by the Memphis Grizzlies in a five-games series, the Portland Trail Blazers now face an offseason of uncertainty and inevitable change. Seven of their players will be unrestricted free agents and there is a chance that their franchise icon (LaMarcus Aldridge) may alter the NBA universe by signing with another team.

This upcoming offseason is one of the most important in recent franchise history and the Trail Blazers will feel the impact for a number of years moving forward.

The biggest question mark moving forward will be the situation with Aldridge. If he re-signs with the team, the Blazers will continue to evolve and get better, but if he decides to sign with another squad, Portland will take a huge step back. He had an opportunity to sign a contract extension last summer, but he decided to hold off on putting the ink to paper due to the NBA’s television deal with ABC, which will nearly double the double the salary cap in the next few years.

There were reports that he had a handshake deal to sign an extension this July, but that is meaningless until he actually confirms that he is coming back.

In my opinion, there are only three teams that have a legitimate shot at convincing LMA to sign with their franchise – the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. Aldridge is from Dallas, Texas, and there is no reason for him to sign anywhere else in the NBA. None of the teams that will have major cap space this offseason (Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers) are more attractive in terms of winning a championship. Boston is a young team that could have a bright future, but why would he make a move Northeast with no guarantee that he would be competing for a ring?

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If Aldridge were to leave Portland, he would leave $25 million-$30 million on the table (Portland can offer an extra year because they own his Bird rights). It is hard to imagine him giving up that much money if it meant going to a team in a worse situation. However, the three Texas teams would offer him a chance at winning his first ring, so it would make sense if he had the desire to play in his home state. If he has faith in his body and skill level, he could always sign a one-year deal with a new team and then eventually sign a long-term contract the following offseason.

Obviously, the best-case scenario for the Blazers would be Aldridge signing a long-term contract. Once that move is made, Wesley Matthews would be a priority No. 2. He will be an unrestricted free agent and despite the fact that he is currently on crutches (Achilles), his value should still be high if you consider the drop-off the Blazers have faced defensively as soon as he went to the sidelines.

Wesley may command a contract in the neighborhood of $70 million, but you can’t let your clear-cut third option leave the team without compensation. He is vital to what the Blazers do as a team and although C.J. McCollum played well in his absence, Portland needs Wes on the floor in the black and red stripes.

Robin Lopez, Dorell Wright, Joel Freeland, Alonzo Gee and Tim Frazier are also scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency. Meanwhile, Steve Blake and Arron Afflalo have player options, and Chris Kaman has a team option for next season.

Rolo should be back on the squad – he loves Portland and Portland loves Rolo. He alleviates a lot of pressure off of LaMarcus and he is underrated as a defensive presence. There will probably be a few teams that attempt to sweep him off of his feet, but he belongs in Portland at the end of the day.

After investing a first-round pick and Will Barton to trade for Afflalo, his option needs to be picked up. He could end up making a run as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate in 2016, and he is a great insurance plan in case Matthews does end up leaving.

Everyone else on this roster is expendable, depending on whoever else general manager Neil Olshey is looking at in this year’s free agent class. It wouldn’t hurt to bring a couple of them back for the sake of continuity. The Trail Blazers finished the season ranked ninth in scoring (102.8 points per game) and 12^th in points per-game allowed (98.6), so there is no reason to shake up the roster unless you truly have to.

The team needs to find a way to strengthen the bench and continue to let players such as McCollum and Meyers Leonard develop within the system. Terry Stotts has done a great job in his three years as the Blazers head coach and the players play well under his guidance.

If it weren’t for injuries, this team would probably have advanced past the first round this year. We need to let LaMarcus Aldridge know that Portland is his best chance at winning and that if we stick to the plan, there will a championship parade in Rip City sooner rather than later.

Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Second Round Series

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The Portland Trail Blazers Face An Offseason Of Uncertainty

By Chris Kirby | May 1, 2015

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