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Portland Trail Blazers: Neil Olshey Moves Forward With, Without LaMarcus Aldridge

By Chris St. Jean

May 10, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey (R) talks to actress Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia (L) after game three of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey (R) talks to actress Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia (L) after game three of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Portland Trail Blazer fans have been twisting in the wind while LaMarcus Aldridge meets with the Lakers and the Spurs and the Suns and the Rockets and the Raptors and the Knicks and the Heat and the Lakers again.

As of the writing of this piece, Aldridge hasn’t made a decision yet, but that doesn’t mean that Blazers’ general manager Neil Olshey has been standing idly by while his franchise player may or may not walk away.

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While Aldridge has been contemplating his future, Olshey has been shaping the Blazers future. It started with one of the first deals of the free agency period. The Blazers agreed to a four-year contract worth $30 million with former Clipper small forward Al-Farouq Aminu.

The 24-year-old small forward only played around 18 minutes per game with the Mavericks last season. But Olshey drafted Aminu eighth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft while a part of the Los Angeles Clippers. If anyone in the NBA sees the potential in Aminu, it’s Olshey.

Aminu has always been an above-average rebounder for his position, and his defensive abilities have kept him in the league, but 29 percent career 3-point shooting will make Blazers fans nervous.

The timing of the Aminu agreement was the most curious part. Olshey could have just as easily waited to see what LaMarcus was going to do, but this agreement was one of the first in the entire league. It also seemed to hem in the Blazers financially a bit after they gave themselves plenty of flexibility after the two trades made last week.

Very soon after Olshey displayed loyalty to a player he once drafted, he displayed loyalty to another huge part of the Blazers organization, Damian Lillard.  The Blazers had until the start of the season in October to agree on a contract extension for Lillard to avoid him becoming a restricted free agent next July.

Instead the Blazers wasted no time, making an offer of five years and (it is believed) $125 million to $129 million to the 24-year-old point guard, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. David Aldridge also reported that the deal included a trade kicker that all but assures Lillard will be a part of the Blazers organization for the next six seasons before that contract expires.

A couple days later, with Aldridge still weighing his options, Olshey came to an agreement with 26-year-old center Ed Davis. The Blazers agreed to hand Davis a three-year, $20 million deal.

With Robin Lopez quite possibly on his way to New York, the center position was becoming a priority for the Blazers. And as Adrian Wojnarowski was pointing out in his tweets, all of the moves the Blazers made would allow Aldridge to still re-sign the max deal it’s assumed he was offered from the Blazers.

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On the other hand, Olshey has put together a nice collection of young talent that could easily change direction if Aldridge decided to join the Spurs or the Suns. In Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Gerald Henderson, Aminu, Noah Vonleh, Mason Plumlee, Meyers Leonard and Davis, the Blazers have put together a core all between the ages 19 and 26.

One issue that the Blazers may have had in their previous incarnation is that some of the core (Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum, Aldridge) was in a slightly higher age bracket than Damian Lillard. That’s definitely not the case now as the core of the team is built to grow and develop with Lillard during the life of that contract.

If Aldridge decides to leave the Blazers, they’ll have a much clearer direction than most teams that lose an All-NBA caliber talent. On the other hand, Aldridge could return to the Blazers with Lillard and whole new cast of role players surrounding them.

Aldridge would have plenty of help in the frontcourt between Plumlee, Leonard, Vonleh, Davis, and Chris Kaman (whose team option was exercised by the Blazers for next season).

One thing is for sure. Olshey wasn’t going to wait around to see what Aldridge’s decision would be to begin constructing the next version of the Portland Trail Blazers. With an infusion of youth, athleticism, and a focus on the defensive side of the ball, Olshey has already guided the Blazers towards that next phase.

Next: The LaMarcus Aldridge Free Agency Sweepstakes

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