Portland Trail Blazers: 5 bargain bin targets in 2019 NBA free agency

The Portland Trail Blazers need to improve their roster and they don’t have much money to spend. Here are five bargain bin targets for them to look at in 2019 NBA free agency.

Heading into the 2019 offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers are about $27.1 million over the salary cap, and that is with 10 players already under contract. They have their core pieces in place, but need to add some reliable players who came help the team win some games. They did draft Nassir Little at No. 25 in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he could be a year or two away from being a meaningful contributor.

The Blazers also traded Evan Turner to the Atlanta Hawks for Kent Bazemore. They bring in more money with Bazemore, but just like Turner, he is on an expiring contract. Baze is a better shooter, a better fit for the Blazers and they were going to be spending big money anyway on Turner, so they might as well spend it on a guy who should be better.

Last year, Portland added Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas in free agency. Stauskas played okay in Rip City, but was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with some second round picks for Rodney Hood, who ended up being a key player in the playoffs.

Curry played excellent in his one year in Rip City and earned himself some money this summer. Both guys signed last summer wound up being useful and were a big part of the team’s success this past year. Even though it might be more of a challenge, general manager Neil Olshey will look for similar results this year.

There are plenty of guys out there who won’t demand a ton of money and could come in and be a nice fit on Portland’s roster. They will have the taxpayer mid-level exception that is worth $5.7 million up to a maximum of three years. They could look to add older players or guys that need some new life and a chance to prove themselves like Curry last year. With that mind, here are five bargain bin targets for the Blazers in free agency.