The Blazers Are Back In Contention
The Blazers had an injury filled year and they still were able to make the playoffs. They needed to make some moves to retool this roster, but they were a few moves away from making it back to the top of the Western Conference. And they did a great job this offseason, and in my opinion, they are back in contention.
Trading Trevor Ariza For Robert Covington
Trevor Ariza was a mid-season pickup for Portland during the 2019-20 season, and he was a solid pickup. He helped out a lot of the defensive end and hit some 3’s. But Ariza is old and he didn’t participate in the bubble. So Portland looked for a younger Ariza. And they were able to snag Covington from Houston.
They traded Ariza, a future 1st and the 16th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft to Houston for Robert Covington. Covington is a great defender and great shooter, but his defense is what will help this Blazers team out of the most. The 16th pick didn’t have much value for Portland and Portland’s first round picks are very rarely in the top 10. So losing a future one isn’t the end of the world.
The Blazers just got a younger version of Ariza in Covington, and he will help this Portland team out a lot.
Trading For Enes Kanter
The Blazers were involved in a 3-team trade that sent Enes Kanter from Boston back to Portland and Mario Hezonja to Memphis. Portland took a massive W with this trade. Kanter is an excellent offensive rebounder and can provide size down low alongside Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic. Kanter isn’t a great defender, but he is a guy you can give 10-15 minutes to.
And the Blazers are only paying Kanter $5 million dollars for just one season, so they aren’t in a long-term investment here. The Blazers also got rid of Mario Hezonja. Hezonja doesn’t one defining skill, and that’s the problem. He’s a subpar shooter and scorer overall, and he’s nothing special on defense. Hezonja averaged just 5 points during the season and didn’t do much. Portland didn’t need him is the bottom line, and they got rid of him.
So the Blazers added some more depth at center and then they got rid of a player that they didn’t need. Excellent move by Portland.
Resigning Rodney Hood
Hood has been excellent scorer for the Blazers for the past couple of seasons. During the 2019 Playoffs Hood was a solid scorer off the bench, also providing solid defense. He was playing great to start off the 2020 season before tearing his achilles, ending his season. Hood declined his player option this summer, and it was important that Portland brought him back.
Although Hood might be worse because of the injury, his game doesn’t need a lot of athleticism to be functional. He is a guy who operates mostly in the mid-range area and is also a solid 3-point shooter. While Covington is a superb defender, Hood is a crafty scorer.
And the Blazers were able to bring him back at about $10 million per year, a decent price to pay for a player of Hood’s caliber. Hood will likely be a 6th or 7th man off the bench for Portland this season, and he will be familiar with Portland’s system with this being his 3rd season. This is a solid re-sign from Portland to help sure up their bench.
Blazers Re-Sign Carmelo Anthony
The Blazers gave Melo a chance to comeback into the league, and he was pretty good as their 3rd option. He is still a great isolation scorer out of the post and is a great catch-and-shoot shooter from 3. He is a savvy veteran who gives the Blazers defense and toughness.
I was surprised that Melo wanted to stay with the Blazers, instead of going to a top-tier contender. But Melo seems to rank loyalty pretty high up on his list, similar to Damian Lillard.
Keeping Melo was a big thing for Portland, as he will again be a starter or top of the bench for Portland. This really beefs up Portland’s wings as they dealt with injuries last season, and Melo will have another good season with the Blazers.
Blazers Sign Derrick Jones Jr.
This one was my least favorite, but it’s not completely horrible. Jones is an athletic freak who mostly operates out of the paint. He doesn’t shoot the ball much, so he doesn’t fit much with the modern NBA. But I do like this move and here is why.
This gives the Blazers another guy who can guard the Kawhi’s and Lebron’s of the world. He is very quick and agile and can jump very high with his wingspan. I don’t think he’ll more than 10 minutes a game, but he could see minutes if somebody gets injured or in foul trouble.
Jones is a lob threat and he can suck in defenses as he rolls to the rim, which leaves all the Blazer shooters open. This could be a sleep insurance pick for the Blazers and their bench.
The Blazers added Enes Kanter (back), Derrick Jones, and Robert Covington to sure up their depth. They resigned Melo and Rodney Hood as well, and the Blazers had a really good offseason. Here is their projected lineup for next season:
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: CJ McCollum
SF: Robert Covington
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Jusuf Nurkic
Bench: Collins (PF), Hood (SF), Jones Jr (SF/PF), Kanter (C), Simmons (PG), Trent Jr (SG).
This Blazers team has some depth at all positions, and they have a lot of offensive talent and some versatile defensive wings. I project the Blazers to be a top-4 seed is healthy, but they will easily be a playoff team.
How Good Will The Blazers Be This Season? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
