JULY 7, 12:20pm: Per Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, Nurkic’s partial guarantee in the final season of his new contract – 2021/22 – is for $4MM.
JULY 7, 7:23am: The Trail Blazers have officially re-signed Nurkic, the club early on Saturday morning in a press release.
JULY 6: Restricted free agent center Jusuf Nurkic has agreed to a four-year, $48MM contract to remain with the Trail Blazers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
The deal includes a partial guarantee in the fourth season, Wojnarowski adds. The contract could be worth up to $53MM, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The 7-foot Nurkic, who turns 24 in August, posted averages of 14.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 1.4 BPG last season. Nurkic started all 79 games in which he played.
Nurkic could have signed for more money a few months ago, according to Wojnarowski’s follow-up story, but turned down that offer. With the market shrinking, Nurkic decided to take the Blazers’ revised offer.
Nurkic’s career took off when the Nuggets traded him to Portland during the 2016/17 season. He was one of the top big men available on the free agent market this summer, coming in at No. 16 overall on our list of 2018’s top 50 free agents.
With Nurkic back under contract, the Blazers have now made three signings this week, adding Nik Stauskas and Seth Curry to the mix as well. Those new deals project to take Portland over the tax line, though there’s still plenty of time for the team to dip back below it — last year, for instance, the Blazers went well over that threshold before moving Allen Crabbe and Noah Vonleh to avoid becoming a taxpayer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seems reasonable, hopefully he averages 21-22 ppg next season with 12 rpg and 2 bpg.
I think it’s a little more than reasonable. Personally, I think Portland got a great deal, and even a bit of a bargain for Nurkic…
There’s no way he puts up 22 and 12 a game lol
That’s not as bad of a deal as I expected. I like Nurkic, I just really hope he matures and makes the strides everyone expected last year. I guess long term it is better than one year of Ed Davis in a seemingly predetermined Western Conference. The Blazers do always seem to play better when the expectations are down. I hate that I will always give them the benefit of the doubt when they really do not deserve it. I’m a fan until Lillard leaves, because after that I expect the front office will have no pressure on them to actually try to win.
Good player, good signing, not too bad money wise, could have been worst… just I am a bit disappointed with him, when he left Denver I thought he looked hungry, like he was gonna eat the world, but since, specially last season, at some times he looked totally apathetic & uninterested, hopefully he can get his act together & be the center that we all thought, dominant. That way Portland could have their big 3, with him, Dame & CJ, I’d love for Portland to do well, always like them, really like Dame, a true pro.
Now the Blazers need wings. That’s what the NBA is all about now 6-7 guys that can fly. Guys that can defend with their length.
Very skilled big man, All-Star backcourt, couple more pieces the Blazers could be right there.
What they need is animation in the middle– and Nurkic is no longer in his contract year, and Davis gone. Maybe Nurkic will be in a better mood, but he is still underpaid.
I note all 4 of their aquisitions so far have been guards. Is is so crucial to upgrade Napier and Connauton? Maybe they are gearing up to trade Lillard or Mccollum for one of those wings.
He is a solid center. I don’t see a 90m gap between him and Jokic.
True, the system did not work as well for Nurkic.