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Damian Lillard To Address Report About His Future

July 16th, 2021 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard plans to discuss rumors about his future with the organization after today’s practice with Team USA, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

A report this morning by Henry Abbott of TrueHoop states that Lillard plans to ask for a trade within the next few days, citing a source close to the player. Lillard will presumably address that report at his session with the media. He risks a fine from the league for making a public trade request, so anything less than a full denial would set off alarms in Portland.

This isn’t the first time that rumors have emerged that Lillard might want to move on. He has been with the Trail Blazers throughout his nine years in the NBA and has talked in the past about wanting to spend his entire career with one organization. But Portland has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, including a loss to an undermanned Nuggets team this years, and recently underwent a coaching change, with Chauncey Billups replacing Terry Stotts.

Lillard, who has called the 2020/21 season the most frustrating year of his career, discussed why this is such an important time in his career during an interview with Haynes.

“There are few reasons: One being I’m not getting any younger. Our environment has always been great,” Lillard said. “We’re not losing a lot, but we were eliminated by a shorthanded Denver team that I felt we should have beat. I just walked away from that really disappointed. I was like, ‘Man, this just isn’t going to work.’ We’re not winning the championship, but we’ve got a successful organization. We’re not a franchise that’s just out here losing every year and getting divided. We have positive seasons; we just don’t end up with a championship.

“So I feel like at this point, I basically made the decision that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been. Just like I hold myself accountable for a bad performance or hold myself accountable to make sure that I work my ass off when I’m training, I must be accountable for saying what needs to be said even if it’s not popular. And that just comes with age. When I was younger, I felt like maybe I’ll be out of place, but I feel like I’ve earned the right to say we must do better. We must do better if we want to win on that level.”

Besides suggesting that Lillard intends to request a trade, Abbott also says within his report that Blazers owner Jody Allen may be looking to sell the franchise. If one or both of those claims are true, an already-eventful offseason in Portland will get even more interesting.

Lillard is expected to be available to reporters at about 2:30 pm CT this afternoon, as Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets.

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Blazers Won’t Give Zach Collins Qualifying Offer

July 15th, 2021 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers will not extend a $7MM qualifying offer to forward Zach Collins, Jason Quick of The Athletic reports.

That will make Collins an unrestricted free agent next month. The 10th pick in the 2017 draft has only appeared in 11 games the past two seasons due to shoulder, foot and ankle injuries.

Collins learned late last month of a major setback when another fracture was discovered in his left foot. He underwent a second revision surgery to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture and will require another 4-6 month recovery period.

“Obviously with me being a free agent, it makes it tough,” Collins said. “But I’m less concerned about what type of deal I’m going to get, or how many years it’s going to be, or who I’m going to play for … I’m more focused on this rehab and getting this ankle right.”

Projected to be over the cap, the Blazers couldn’t afford to tie up another chunk of money on a player who will likely miss significant time next season.

Agent Mark Bartelstein is still confident he can land a multi-year contract for his client.

“There’s no question he is going to get a deal; he’s an incredible talent,” Bartelstein said. “NBA teams are looking for guys who can protect the rim, switch everything on defense and make 3s. Zach is really a unicorn.”

Collins is still hopeful of remaining with Portland. Bartelstein will hold discussions with Neil Olshey, the team’s president of basketball operations.

“Neil and I talk all the time and we will do what we always do — sit and talk and see if something makes sense,” Bartelstein said. “But they are in a tough spot. They are up against the luxury tax, and there’s a sense of urgency to win now … so there’s a lot to balance. But I know Neil believes deeply in Zach. They know he is going to be good.”

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Northwest Notes: Blazers, Nuggets, Jazz, SGA

July 15th, 2021 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

When president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told reporters last month that the Trail Blazers investigated the sexual assault allegations levied in 1997 against new head coach Chauncey Billups and came away confident Billups hadn’t engaged in wrongdoing, he declined to offer any details on that inquiry. Olshey simply asked fans and the media to trust that the team had thoroughly investigated the situation.

However, a new report from Conrad Wilson and Tony Schick of Oregon Public Broadcasting calls into question just how exhaustive the Trail Blazers’ investigation was. According to Wilson and Schick, the attorney for Jane Doe (Billups’ accuser) said the Blazers didn’t contact her or her client.

“It’s news to us that they conducted an investigation,” attorney Margaret A. Burnham said.

The Blazers’ review didn’t obtain information directly from several primary sources, per the OPB’s report. That doesn’t necessarily meant the team’s conclusion about Billups’ involvement in the 1997 incident was inaccurate, but it suggests that the franchise may not have done everything it could to get the full story.

Whether the latest revelation results in any blowback for Olshey remains to be seen, as Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report tweets. Either way, the fact that the story continues to create PR problems for the club doesn’t reflect well on the Blazers or their head of basketball operations.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Alex Labidou of Nuggets.com provides some takeaways on the prospects that the Nuggets brought in for pre-draft workouts on Monday and Tuesday this week. Tuesday’s group included Chudier Bile (Georgetown), Carlik Jones (Louisville), Makur Maker (Howard), MaCio Teague (Baylor), Arnas Velicka (Lithuania), Moses Wright (Georgia Tech). Details on Monday’s group can be found here.
  • The Jazz‘s biggest problems in the postseason were a lack of depth and a lack of versatility, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, noting that the team figures to face some difficult roster decisions this offseason as it looks for ways to improve.
  • There have been no reports stating that the Thunder are thinking about trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but some writers have put the 23-year-old in hypothetical trades that Oklahoma City could offer to move up in the draft. Responding to those suggestions, Ross Lovelace of Daily Thunder argues that Oklahoma City should be building around Gilgeous-Alexander, not considering moving him.
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2021 NBA Offseason Preview: Portland Trail Blazers

July 12th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After an injury-plagued 2019/20 season in which they barely sneaked into the Western Conference playoffs, the Trail Blazers entered the ’20/21 campaign with loftier goals. Portland added Robert Covington and Derrick Jones on the wing and was counting on the frontcourt duo of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins to get healthy and help complement the team’s star backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

However, injuries continued to be a problem for Nurkic, who missed half the season, and for Collins, who missed the entire year. And while Covington meshed well with the current core, Jones didn’t have the impact the Blazers had hoped for, falling out of the rotation in the second half.

President of basketball operations Neil Olshey added some midseason reinforcements by acquiring Norman Powell from Toronto, but it wasn’t enough to make a serious playoff run. Portland was eliminated from the postseason in the first round by a shorthanded Nuggets squad, spelling the end of Terry Stotts‘ tenure as the club’s head coach.

The offseason has gotten off to a shaky start in Portland. There are questions about whether Lillard’s loyalty to the franchise might start wavering after what he called the most frustrating season of his career, and the Blazers came under fire for hiring Chauncey Billups as their new head coach in light of the sexual assault allegations he faced in 1997.

The Blazers said they investigated the incident and came away confident that Billups hadn’t engaged in any wrongdoing, but their caginess and lack of transparency left many fans with a bad taste. Olshey and Billups may have some work to do to ensure that both Lillard and those fans feel comfortable moving forward with the franchise.

The Trail Blazers’ Offseason Plan:

The Blazers will be capped out even before attempting to re-sign Powell, all but eliminating free agency as a viable path for pursuing roster upgrades. The team also doesn’t have either of its 2021 draft picks, having traded away its first-rounder last year for Covington and its second-rounder two years ago for Rodney Hood.

That leaves the trade market as Olshey’s best bet for reshaping the roster.

Lillard is, of course, Portland’s best trade chip, but the team won’t move the All-NBA point guard unless he expresses a desire to leave. Lillard has long been loyal to the Blazers and still has four years left on his contract, so I wouldn’t expect him to force his way out this summer — it’s not impossible, but I imagine he’ll want to at least see what Billups brings to the team before making any major decisions.

If Lillard is off the table, that leaves McCollum and Nurkic as two potential major trade chips for the Blazers. Olshey has long insisted he doesn’t want to break up Portland’s high-scoring backcourt duo, but trading McCollum for an impact forward or big man would certainly help balance the roster. It’s unclear how high McCollum’s value will be on the trade market though, since he has $100MM left on his contract and will be entering his age-30 season.

Nurkic, meanwhile, has played solid two-way basketball in the middle in the past, but leg injuries have limited his effectiveness. The veteran center also dropped hints at the end of the season that he didn’t necessarily envision a long-term future for himself in Portland. While his value isn’t as high as it would’ve been two years ago, his $12MM expiring salary would certainly be movable. He’d even have positive value if he’s back to full health.

No other players on the Blazers’ roster should be untouchable, though Covington is on a team-friendly deal and the club may still be high on young players like Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, despite their up-and-down development.

In free agency, re-signing Powell should be a priority, especially if the Blazers make a trade involving McCollum. Portland gave up a productive and controllable rotation player in Gary Trent Jr. to acquire Powell and won’t want to lose him for nothing.

Collins once looked like a long-term keeper, but he has undergone three surgeries on his foot in the last year. It’s possible he’ll be back, but it would have to be at a bargain rate. Portland may not even tender him a qualifying offer.

Role players like Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter will also be free agents and seem to enjoy playing for the Blazers. If Lillard remains in Portland, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them stick around too.

Salary Cap Situation

Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Jusuf Nurkic ($8,000,000) 2
  • Total: $1,824,003

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • None

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Anfernee Simons (rookie scale)
  • Robert Covington (veteran)
  • Jusuf Nurkic (veteran)

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

It’s a safe bet that the Blazers will guarantee Nurkic’s salary for 2021/22, and Jones seems likely to opt in. Those moves would bring Portland’s total guaranteed commitments to about $115.5MM for eight players, pushing team salary over the cap. If they re-sign Powell, the Blazers may find themselves in luxury tax territory again next season.

For now, we’re assuming Portland will have its full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception available, but that could change if team salary creeps into the $130-135MM range (or higher).

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 7
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 7
  • Trade exception: $1,737,145
  • Trade exception: $1,663,861
  • Trade exception: $661,655

Footnotes

  1. This is a projected value. Lillard’s salary will be 35% of the 2021/22 salary cap.
  2. Nurkic’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 3.
  3. Powell’s decision is reportedly due by July 22.
  4. Jones’ decision is reportedly due by July 28.
  5. Because he’ll have four years of NBA service, Leaf is ineligible to sign another two-way contract.
  6. The cap hold for Swanigan remains on the Trail Blazers’ books from a prior season because he hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal. The Blazers also can’t offer Swanigan a starting salary worth more than his cap hold, since his rookie scale team option for 2020/21 was declined.
  7. These are projected values. If the Trail Blazers approach or cross the tax line, they may forfeit these exceptions and instead gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9MM).

Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post.

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Western Notes: Hammon, Rockets, Mobley, Giddey, Curry

July 11th, 2021 at 8:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Although she interviewed with the Trail Blazers twice and was identified as a finalist for the team’s head coaching position, Spurs assistant Becky Hammon sensed that she wasn’t the favorite to land the job.

“I knew I was second; I knew who they wanted,” said Hammon, who openly discussed multiple topics with Jabari Young of CNBC. “And I’m OK with that, because every race I’ve gotten into my entire life, I’ve been behind, and I’m OK with that. And that’s just how it is — but at the same time, I’m not ignorant to what I’m going up against.”

Instead of Hammon, Portland opted to hire Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups in the position. Billups was one of two preferred names mentioned by Blazers star Damian Lillard last month, immediately making him a strong candidate for the job.

“I’m not mad,” Hammon said. “This is the business, and it’s a very competitive business. But, at the end of the day, throw everything out the window — if you want to hire me, you’ll find a reason to hire me. And if you don’t want to hire me, you’ll find that reason, too. And that’s just that.”

There’s more from the Western Conference tonight:

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Northwest Notes: Lillard, Thunder, Bol, Barton

July 10th, 2021 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard plans to keep any further discussion about his future in Portland private, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. There has been speculation that Lillard might request a trade from the organization where he has spent his entire nine-year career in the wake of a disappointing first-round playoff exit and a coaching change.

Asked to comment on the rumors this week at Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas, Lillard said he will handle the situation behind closed doors.

“Anything that I have to say, I’m going to say directly to (Blazers general manager) Neil (Olshey) and I’m going to address it directly with my team,” Lillard said. “There’s really nothing else I have to say about it.”

Lillard, who will turn 31 this week, is a six-time All-Star and one of the most prolific scorers in the league. However, Portland has been bounced from the playoffs in the first round in four of the past five seasons and may be entering a transition phase. Even so, Lillard pointed out that he hasn’t made any negative public comments about the franchise.

“There’s a lot of things being said and sometimes words being put in my mouth, and I haven’t said anything,” he said. “If there is something to be said or if I think something or have something to say that I’m going to say it and I’m going to stand on it.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Thunder have collected draft assets by taking on large contracts from other teams, and Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman wonders if the Sixers‘ Ben Simmons could become a target. Mussatto suggests offering Philadelphia Kemba Walker, who was recently acquired from the Celtics, along with Ty Jerome and the 16th and 18th picks in this year’s draft. Simmons, whose future with the Sixers is uncertain after a shaky shooting performance in the playoffs, is owed more than $146MM over the next four seasons.
  • In a mailbag column, Mike Singer of the Denver Post speculates on the future of Nuggets big man Bol Bol, who barely played after signing a two-year contract last offseason. Singer notes that Bol only saw a combined 26 minutes in April and seemed to fall behind Zeke Nnaji and Vlatko Cancar on the depth chart.
  • Singer also cites “chatter” about a possible extension for Nuggets guard Will Barton, who has a July 17 deadline to decide on a $14.6MM player option for next season. Singer states that there’s a lot of “goodwill” between the organization and Barton, who is projected to be a starter if he returns.
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Roy Rogers Close To Joining Blazers’ Staff

July 10th, 2021 at 9:28am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers are finalizing a contract with Roy Rogers to join Chauncey Billups’ staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Rogers’ primary responsibility would be improving Portland’s defense, which ranked 29th with a 115.3 rating during the regular season.

Rogers would be the third assistant poached from Tyronn Lue‘s Clippers staff since the end of their season. Billups spent a year with the Clippers before he was hired by the Blazers to replace Terry Stotts. Rogers, 47, was hired last offseason to join Lue after stints with the Bulls, Rockets, Wizards, Nets, Pistons and Celtics.

Another member of Lue’s staff this season, former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, is joining Steve Kerr’s Golden State staff.

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Blazers Finalizing Deal To Hire Scott Brooks As Top Assistant

July 9th, 2021 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers and Scott Brooks are finalizing a deal that will make the former Wizards coach the top assistant on Chauncey Billups‘ new coaching staff in Portland, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

A report earlier this week indicated that Brooks was in the mix along with Vinny Del Negro and Lionel Hollins to become the lead assistant on Portland’s staff. The Blazers had been looking to pair Billups – a first-time head coach – with an experienced lieutenant, and Brooks certainly qualifies.

Brooks, who worked as an assistant for the Nuggets, Kings, and SuperSonics/Thunder early in his coaching career, eventually took over as head coach in Oklahoma City in 2008. He led the team to a 338-207 (.620) regular season record in seven years at the helm, making the NBA Finals in 2012.

After taking a year off, Brooks was hired as the Wizards’ head coach in 2016. During his five-year tenure in D.C., the club went 183-207 (.469) in the regular season and made the playoffs three times, winning one series in 2017. Washington didn’t retain Brooks when his contract expired at the end of the 2020/21 season.

The Blazers figure to continue filling out Billups’ staff in the coming days and weeks.

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Del Negro, Brooks, Hollins Candidates To Be Lead Assistant In Portland

July 7th, 2021 at 10:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Three names have emerged as candidates to be the lead assistant to new Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. They are former Bulls and Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, former Wizards and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks, and Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins.

Del Negro, 54, is an analyst with NBA TV and hasn’t coached in the league since the 2012/13 season. He served as director of the draft combine in 2019.

Brooks, 55, has been head coach of the Wizards for the past five years, but the team decided last month not to extend his contract. He also spent seven years as the head coach in Oklahoma City.

Hollins, 67, is a former head coach with the Grizzlies and Nets and has been with the Lakers since Frank Vogel took over as head coach in 2019. He started his playing career in Portland and was part of the team’s only NBA championship in 1977.

Billups is a first-time head coach, so it makes sense that the Blazers would be looking to pair him with experienced assistants. Del Negro, Brooks, and Hollins all certainly fit the bill.

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Central Notes: Sexton, Cavaliers, Antetokounmpo, Brogdon

July 3rd, 2021 at 7:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are the best trading partner if the Cavaliers are looking to move guard Collin Sexton, contends Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com. Sexton is only 22 and is coming off his best season, averaging 24.3 points per game, but he will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer. Cleveland is focused on re-signing restricted free agent center Jarrett Allen and may not want to hand out a second large contract.

Duncan likes the fit for Sexton in Miami because the Heat need another scorer who can attack the rim. Sexton’s limitations as a play-maker wouldn’t matter as much with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo handling the ball, Duncan adds, while coach Eric Spoelstra could find ways to overcome Sexton’s defensive issues.

Duncan suggests it would be easy to include Kevin Love in the potential trade and get his contract off Cleveland’s books. Miami could match salary by picking up its options on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala and possibly including Tyler Herro and KZ Okpala in the deal.

Duncan mentions the Raptors, Celtics and Lakers as other possible destinations for Sexton.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Cavaliers have gotten calls from teams interested in their No. 3 pick, but nothing has moved beyond “cursory conversations,” according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Magic, who own the fifth and eighth selections, and the Warriors, who have No. 7 and 14, could be teams to watch if talks get more serious.
  • Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to do on-court work today for the first time since hyperextending his left knee Tuesday night, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. Coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed the workout in a pre-game session with reporters, adds Eric Nehm of The Athletic (via Twitter), but said he wasn’t able to watch it.
  • A source tells J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star that the Pacers haven’t had any trade talks with the Sixers involving the 13th pick (Twitter link). A report Friday said Philadelphia declined an offer of Malcolm Brogdon and the pick for Ben Simmons. The Pacers tend to avoid large contracts like Simmons has, Michael adds, noting that owner Herb Simon vetoed a trade for Mike Conley two years ago. Indiana is open to moving the pick, according to Michael, but he says there have been no talks with the Sixers, who are hoping to land Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers.
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