Dallas Mavericks: 5 Trade Destinations For Andrew Bogut

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are often the first team mentioned in connection with any rim-protecting center. Their combination of Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis and Meyers Leonard does not speak to a monster in the middle swatting away shots.

The Blazers have improved slightly on defense since their last-place start, righting their free fall just as they passed out of the top eight in the West.

They have clawed their way up to 25th in the league, although closer to the last-place Los Angeles Lakers than to the 22nd-ranked Orlando Magic.

Their backcourt has acute defensive limitations, as Damian Lillard ranks 73rd among point guards in defensive RPM and C.J. McCollum is 79th among shooting guards.

This leaves an opportunity for Bogut to step into spot minutes at the pivot, playing more when the opponent has a true center and less minutes when their attack is more spread out.

On offense Bogut can make plays in the role Mason Plumlee is filling. Lillard and McCollum are both crack shooters and Bogut is adept at putting a pass right in a shooter’s scoring pocket. He’s also a brutal screen-setter, another underrated part of a great offense.

Andrew Bogut is by no means the answer to all of Portland’s problems, and he does not have the stamina nor medical report to play a significant role. But in the right situations the Trail Blazers would know they can deploy a true defensive anchor to protect the paint.