2018 NBA free agency grades: Blazers keeping Jusuf Nurkic

The Portland Trail Blazers have decided to keep their core together, agreeing to a deal with starting center Jusuf Nurkic.

Following a first round sweep at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Portland Trail Blazers headed into the 2018 offseason unsure of their direction moving forward.

That plan has now become a little clearer, as the Blazers have agreed with center Jusuf Nurkic on a four-year deal worth $48 million, according to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Acquired at the 2017 trade deadline, Nurkic was an effective low-post presence for Portland this past season, averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 26.4 minutes of action.

For a Blazers squad so heavily reliant on the duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Nurkic is somewhat of a breath of fresh air, providing a different type of offensive weapon for head coach Terry Stotts to utilize.

A burly 7’0″ and 280 pounds, Nurkic is capable of dominating the restricted area, using his size and nimble footwork to score down low. Along with his size comes the bone-crushing screens he’s constantly setting, freeing up looks for his dynamic backcourt while opening up the lane for himself off pick-and-rolls.

Depending on the matchup, Nurkic has the ability to be a handful offensively. It’s on the defensive end where the Bosnian big man struggles in certain facets.

With the value of versatile defensive big men the highest its ever been, Nurkic lags behind in that department, unable to keep in front of perimeter players resulting from his size, rendering him incredibly slow-footed.

In a Western Conference loaded with many of the elite guards of the NBA, Nurkic’s inability to at least contain them outside the paint puts Portland at a huge disadvantage.

Neither Lillard nor McCollum are known for their defensive prowess, but the good news is Portland ranked eighth in defensive rating last year, so perhaps the problems of this Big 3 on that end of the floor aren’t as drastic as they once seemed.

Despite a relative lack of athleticism that hurts him outside the restricted area and a pedestrian 1.4 blocks a game in 2018, Nurkic is still a solid rim protector, capable of using his size to stifle anyone brave enough to challenge him in the paint.

Portland tied for third in points allowed in the lane last season, a credit to Nurkic for improving in that facet of his game.

After multiple playoff failures in the Lillard, McCollum era, the Trail Blazers are admittedly in a tough spot moving forward. Their backcourt is one of the best in the league but after questionable signings that left the front office with little cap space, it appears that the team has reached its ceiling.

With that being said, bringing Nurkic back into the fold seems like a head-scratching move, to say the least.

While his contract may not break the bank, his strengths and weaknesses don’t mesh with the way the NBA is played today, and at less than 30 minutes a game — a necessary precaution given his stamina — his productivity will always be limited.

Portland seems unwilling to make drastic changes in the hopes it could lead to something greater, but that shouldn’t entail bringing back a player whose value is rooted in an antiquated style of play.

The Blazers would’ve been better off spending that $48 million elsewhere, specifically on a more modern big man — of which there were plenty on the free agent market — at a much cheaper cost, if nothing more than to try something different in the hopes of finding success.

This isn’t to say that Nurkic is a bad player. He’ll be a solid contributor over the length of his contract, but not enough to break the loop of playoff failures that Portland has gotten itself stuck in.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

Grade: B-