The Portland Trail Blazers added Hassan Whiteside this summer but need to add another center for some depth. Who should they go and get?
The Portland Trail Blazers are searching for a center. According to The Athletic’s Jason Quick, the Blazers will look to add one more player to their roster this off-season, and it’s going to be a center.
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Last season’s starter, Jusuf Nurkic, suffered a fractured leg before the playoffs and is currently in the recovery process and will likely miss the first half of the next year.
Portland went out and traded for Hassan Whiteside from the Miami Heat to give them a starting-caliber center to fill in while Nurkic is out.
Whiteside is an elite rim protector and when he can put it all together on the floor, he is one of the best big men in the NBA. He is on an expiring deal so Portland could look to trade him around the deadline if Nurkic is back or they can keep him and let him walk at the end of the year.
This is a low risk/high reward trade that gives the Blazers two of the better centers in the league.
With Meyers Leonard and Enes Kanter gone and Nurkic out, Portland lacks some big man depth. Zach Collins will likely be asked to start the season at power forward with Anthony Tolliver — 6’8” — and Mario Hezonja — 6’8” — backing him up.
According to source, Blazers will add one more player this summer - a center - and will enter training camp with 14 players. Will talk this and more today at noon in my @TheAthleticNBA Q&A https://t.co/0Mx8BE0ec5
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) July 17, 2019
It looks like Skal Labissière is the backup center at the moment. Labissière has not shown to be a consistent player yet in his career.
Collins will also play some backup center, but just in case someone gets hurt, the Blazers need to get a guy who is experienced, reliable and won’t take shots away from the main guys on offense.
Portland has no cap space available, and any player that they want to sign will have to be for the minimum amount. There are still plenty of big men unsigned who could play some meaningful minutes for the team early on in the season and not make them break the bank.
Here is a quick rundown of the centers that would fit best on the Blazers roster.