(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
So it’s been a good minute since the Portland Trail Blazers were competing for an NBA championship, but it appears that this team likes its chances right now. And after yesterday, I can’t blame them.
Yesterday, Portland gave superstar Brandon Roy a five-year, max-money contract extension. Roy is now signed through the 2016 season, which (barring catastrophic injury) will guarantee the Blazers a top 10 player in the NBA for the next seven years.
Locking up a star is important, but this trade also gives the Blazers a ton of financial flexibility. Now you may be wondering how that is possible if they just gave a player a maximum deal. Let me explain.
Portland quickly addressed their point guard issue by signing arguably the most underrated player in the game, Andre Miller. You also have to assume that Greg Oden will be starting this season. LaMarcus Aldridge is on the verge of becoming a perennial All-Star in his own right. And Martell Webster, who was supposed to be the breakout swing man last year, has finally gotten a clean bill of health.
Despite those four players looking good for the Blazers in terms of talent, there is something else they have in common. Every single member of the Blazers’ starting five is signed for at least the next two seasons. And Portland has enough money to go out and buy another big name if they see fit (the Millsap near-deal was proof).
Portland has a legitimate superstar, a great supporting cast, and above all else, roughly $25 million to burn. This puts them in a position where, if they like what they see in the next two seasons, they can add to it and make it flourish. Or if they don’t like it, they can put a battering ram to most of the project and still have two All-Stars to work around.
Oh yeah, I should also probably mention that they have one of the best benches in the game.
Basically, Portland is in one of the best financial situations league-wide. They aren’t like the Pistons, who spent entirely too much for talent and will now be a victim of the first major salary cap cut since its inception. But they also aren’t like the Knicks, who refuse to sign anyone under the pretense that it may affect their ability to bring in free agents at this time next year.
They are, to quote the little bear, “Just right.”
We're going to send you the most entertaining Portland Trail Blazers articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete