Surprise Contract with Trail Blazers Proves Al Farouq-Aminu's Sneaky Value

Role players generally sit around and await their turn in free agency, while the big dominoes take turns to fall first. That wasn't the case for Al-Farouq Aminu, who surprisingly shook hands with the Portland Trail Blazers on a four-year, $30 million deal Wednesday morning.

The spending frenzy began early, with free agents of various tiers inking preliminary deals with their current or new teams. Aminu's name was one of the first to come off the free-agent list, which is a huge surprise considering where he was just a year ago.

From Zero to Hero

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It's not uncommon for young NBA players to significantly bolster their market values in just one season, but Aminu's development is still a positive surprise.

Just a year ago, Aminu was a reject. He ended his tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans on a disappointing note, unable to uncork the potential that made him the eighth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. 

In a league that values floor spacing above just about everything else, Aminu was a wing who couldn't shoot. He had the physical tools to be a terrific defender but lacked the basketball IQ to really put them to use. With that in mind, it's not surprising he slipped under the radar in free agency before the Dallas Mavericks picked him up at the league minimum.

Aminu still had potential, and sacrificing a roster spot to see what he was made of without any financial risk was a no-brainer for the Mavs. But for the Nigerian forward, it was potentially one of the last chances to break through and have a meaningful NBA career.

Aminu stepped into a starting role when injuries struck across Dallas' roster in the playoffs and was arguably the team's most influential player when he was on the court. He averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and two steals per game in the first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

Head coach Rick Carlisle threw his defensive ace at James Harden, and Aminu did as good of a job on the superstar guard as any defender in the league possibly could. He created fast-break opportunities, hustled on the offensive glass and made winning plays all over the floor.

During the course of the regular season, Dallas outscored opponents by 5.7 points per 100 possessions with Aminu on the court, per NBA.com. That was the highest net rating out of any Maverick on the roster.

He still has a shaky jumper, but Aminu makes up for it tenfold in other departments. He can guard pretty much every position, switch onto anyone in the pick-and-roll and brings relentless energy on both ends of the court. He still needs talented offensive players around him to thrive, but there is a reason he was one of the first names to come off the board on July 1.

The Fit In Portland

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The Blazers are a mess right now. They moved Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh. They traded for Mason Plumlee.

LaMarcus Aldridge is meeting with teams all around the league and is expected to leave.

Even though Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo claims that Portland can't be counted out of contention for Aldridge, the superstar big man may very well jump ship. If that is the case, the status of Wesley Matthews is also unclear.

Basically, one of the seemingly tightest cores in the entire NBA has been torn apart, and it's unclear what the rest of the roster will look like. Either way, Aminu will likely step into the starting small forward position.

He isn't quite as talented offensively as Batum, but Aminu can certainly fill his shoes. Batum had a horrible year, with his shooting percentages dropping to 40 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range. Aminu was even worse from long range, but he can still fit in.

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At 24, Aminu is two years younger than Batum and will cost Portland around $4 million less next year. Both are good, lengthy wing defenders, but Aminu is probably an improvement on that end with Batum losing a step.

While Aminu can't stretch the floor, he can still operate within a flow offense. His ball-handling skills improved massively last year, as he showed off some nifty moves both in transition and in half-court offensive sets. If a teammate can bend the defense and give Aminu space to work with, he is more than capable of making plays while attacking the basket.

The big question is whether Portland will have a good enough supporting cast to survive the lack of a shooting touch from Aminu. If Aldridge re-signs and the Blazers grab another talented wing, that wouldn't be a problem. Aminu can't create miracles off the dribble, but he will thrive as a versatile forward when he is simply an afterthought to the defense.

He's not the passer that Batum could be, yet is certainly a rebounding upgrade too.

Like Batum, Aminu is quick enough to hang with guards and will be able to switch pick-and-rolls whenever needed. He even did a great job on post-up bruisers such as Aldridge and Zach Randolph last season, and having a defensive ace who can be plugged anywhere is a luxury. 

Final Thoughts

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A consistent jumper would make Aminu $15 million per year in today's NBA, but the fact that he landed this contract proves how valuable three-and-D wings are in this league. Aminu lacks the three-point shooting but trumps most wings in plenty of other departments.

Taking a look at the crazy spending frenzy that is going on is enough to realize just how good this deal is for Portland.

DeMarre Carroll, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks, agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. He benefited a lot from the system in Atlanta, where he was able to feast on open looks. 

Carroll is a significantly better shooter than Aminu, is a feisty defender and has enough off-the-dribble bounce to fit the description of what a prototypical wing needs to be in today's NBA. It's impossible to compare the numbers for each player because their roles were completely different last year.

Aminu is four years younger than Carroll and came twice as cheap. He still has time to develop a slightly better jumper, although he will likely never be an entirely reliable knock-down shooter. But there is still room for growth in Aminu's game, and an increased role could very well help him uncork more of his potential.

The cap will rise to $90 million next summer, which means Aminu's deal will occupy less than 10 percent of Portland's cap. Paying around $7.5 million for a wing who can't shoot might seem like a lot today, but this contract may be a major steal in a year or two.

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