Festus Ezeli to Sign with Blazers: Contract Details and Reaction
Festus Ezeli helped the Golden State Warriors win a record 73 games during the 2015-16 regular season and reach the NBA Finals for the second straight year. He was rewarded with a new contract Thursday from a different team, the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Ezeli and Portland agreed to terms on a two-year deal. The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears added that Ezeli will earn $7.4 million in the first year and that the second year includes a team option worth $7.33 million.
“Festus is an outstanding addition to the Trail Blazer organization on and off the court.,” said Blazers GM Neil Olshey, per Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. “He will make an immediate impact and be a valuable addition to our culture.”
The Warriors renounced Ezeli's rights after Kevin Durant announced he would be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for Golden State. They would have had matching rights had Durant opted to stay in Oklahoma City.
While the 2012 first-round draft pick brings a number of skills to the table, there is reason to be concerned from a health standpoint entering this new deal. He missed the 2013-14 campaign because of knee surgery and only appeared in 46 regular-season games in each of the last two seasons for Golden State.
However, when healthy, the 6'11" Ezeli should provide a solid interior presence with the ability to rebound and protect the rim.
He appeared to turn the corner in 2015-16, tallying career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals per game. He also shot a career-best 54.8 percent from the field, adding some offense to a repertoire that previously primarily consisted of rebounding and interior defense off the bench:
| 2012-13 | 14.4 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 43.8 |
| 2014-15 | 11.0 | 4.4 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 54.7 |
| 2015-16 | 16.7 | 7.0 | 0.7 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 54.8 |
Those are solid numbers, especially for someone who saw limited action as a bench player on a loaded roster, but there is more to be concerned about than just his health.
He struggled in Golden State’s NBA Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was unable to shoulder the load down low after Andrew Bogut went down with injury.
Ezeli started the decisive Game 7 and finished with zero points on 0-of-4 shooting and a single rebound. In all, he averaged two points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.1 blocks per game in the series and was nowhere near the secondary contributor he was during the regular season.
That is the last action he saw on the floor, and he came up short under the pressure of the Finals. He will now have a new type of pressure, as Portland will expect him to deliver on this contract.
Ezeli can be expected to play the role of primary rim protector for a Blazers team that was in need of an imposing presence in the paint. With continued development, Ezeli could be an upgrade from a defensive standpoint over incumbent starter Mason Plumlee. He could also be an effective rim-runner in the pick-and-roll who should pair nicely with go-to ball-handlers Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
If he can tap into what fans saw in the regular season, Ezeli could once again be an impact player. Opponents shot 7.3 percent worse than their normal averages within six feet of the rim during the regular season when Ezeli guarded them, per NBA.com. Strong interior defense and rebounding will help the Vanderbilt product live up to the expectations that come with this new deal.
He is still only 26 years old and has experience on the big stage after reaching the last two NBA Finals with Golden State. If he continues to develop and remains healthy, Ezeli should prove to be a worthwhile signing for the Blazers.
