Free Agent

Casey Holdahl

This Thursday at 3 p.m. (6 p.m. on the east coast), the NBA’s yearly moratorium goes into effect. What this means ostensibly is that most official NBA business, such as trades and signing free agents, cannot be conducted until the after the moratorium expires the morning of July 6.

But what the moratorium really signals is the start of free agency. While teams and free agents cannot enter into official agreements until after the moratorium, mutually-interested parties can negotiate terms with the intent of officially signing when business is allowed to resume a week later. Teams are also severely limited in what public comments they’re allowed to make during the moratorium, though players (and their agents) generally have no such restrictions.

Are these rules actually followed? Not all of them, though the league negating trades and issuing penalties due to violations of various moratorium rules last year might keep teams in line this time around. But we here at Trailblazers.com honor and respect the NBA’s edicts, so you’ll read no discussion of free agency in these parts until after July 6.

But we can look at where the Trail Blazers stand in terms of their own players who are entering free agency. There’s been plenty of consideration of Anfernee Simons being a restricted free agent -- meaning the Trail Blazers have the right to match any offer another team tenders -- and Jusuf Nurkic hitting unrestricted free agency, but Portland actually has six players (eight if you include two-way players, which, for this discussion, we are not) who will be free agents and a few who are also eligible for extensions come Thursday night.

Three players -- Damian Lillard, Eric Bledsoe and Nassir Little -- are eligible for contract extensions. The team can offer Lillard, who is currently under contract through the 2024-25 season (with the last season being a player option), a two-year extension worth upwards of $100 million, and there’s no reason to think they won’t (and some reporting says they will).

It’s pretty much the opposite for Bledsoe. There has been no indication the team will look to extend the 12th-year guard, who was acquired as a part of the trade that sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers, and with just $3.9 million of his salary guaranteed if he’s waived by the end of the moratorium, the likelihood of an extension seems incredibly remote.

As for Little, it’s certainly possible he and the team come to an agreement on an extension, though after playing 48, 48 and 42 games in his first three seasons, it seems both parties likely have cause to take a wait-and-see approach. For what it’s worth, that is the tact the team took with Anfernee Simons.

Before we get to the free agents currently on Portland’s roster, we need to quickly consider the state of the team’s financials. Without getting into too great of detail, the Trail Blazers are over the cap, which will reportedly be somewhere around $123 million, for the 2022-23 season but are under the luxury tax, expected to come in somewhere around $150 million.

So that means the Trail Blazers technically have no “cap space” with which to sign free agents. But this is where tools such as exceptions and bird rights come into play.

By being over the cap but under the tax, the Trail Blazers can utilize the midlevel exception, which is expected to be worth somewhere between $10.5 and $11 million per season, making it by far Portland’s most useful tool in bringing in a free agent not currently on the roster. However, they also have the biannual exception, which is expected to be worth in the neighborhood of $4 million for the upcoming season. So even though they don’t have cap space, they do have two exceptions with which to sign free agents. Those exceptions can be split up among multiple contracts and do not have to be used in full.

They also have another tool for keeping the free agents who are currently on their roster. In an effort to help teams retain their own players, the NBA allows team to re-sign players, dependent on the length of their previous contract, even if they don't have the requisite cap space do to so, a privilege known as "bird rights." Bird rights are given to players who have been on the team for at least two years (which are known as “partial” bird rights) or longer (which typically would give a team “full” bird rights). Worth pointing out here that bird rights are usually transferred in trades and only go away when a player is waived. So for instance, even though Joe Ingles has only been a Trail Blazer since February, Portland owns his full bird rights since his current contract, originally signed with the Jazz, was for four years.

So with all that said, here’s the current status of Portland’s free agents to be going into the moratorium.

Jusuf Nurkic: Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic is an unrestricted free agent, though the Trail Blazers have full bird rights, allowing them to generally go over the cap in order to sign the Bosnian center to a new contract. Trail Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin has noted on multiple occasions that the team values Nurkic, so most expect he will be back in Portland next season.

Anfernee Simons: The Trail Blazers extended the qualifying offer to Anfernee Simons Wednesday morning, making the 6-3 guard a restricted free agent. Like Nurkic, the Trail Blazers own Simons’ full bird rights and the team has made it very clear that they consider him an integral part of their plans going forward, so all indications are Simons will be back next season. And not for nothing, Simons has already stated his desire to return.

Joe Ingles: The veteran guard/forward out of Australia will be an unrestricted free agent, though as previously mentioned, the Trail Blazers own his bird rights, something Joe Cronin mentioned specifically after the trade. And for his part, Ingles has stated interest in returning.

Ben McLemore: After signing a one-year contract with the Trail Blazers for the 2021-22 season, veteran guard Ben McLemore will be an unrestricted free agent. Portland does not own his bird rights since he was on a one-year contract.

CJ Elleby: Portland signed CJ Elleby to a two-year contract after selecting the guard/forward in the second round of the 2020 Draft. As far as I know, the team has not extended a qualifying offer to Elleby (this is probably moot anyway), though the Blazers own partial bird rights, allowing them to go over the cap to re-sign him, but at limited amounts and for at least two seasons. If Elleby does come back, one would assume it would be on a new, minimum contract rather than utilizing his early bird rights.

Elijah Hughes: Trail Blazers guard Elijah Hughes, who Portland acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, will be an unrestricted free agent, though the Trail Blazers own partial bird rights. Assumption here is the same as with Elleby.

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Free Agency Primer: Where The Blazers Stand Heading Into The Moratorium

Restricted free agency can be a bit tricky for both the players and teams involved. For the player, you sit through pitches laying out your value to another organization before entering into negotiations knowing full well that the whole exercise could end up being largely an act of futility. And for the team with the restricted free agent, they have to watch as one of their players is wooed by another organization whose contract offer they'll have to abide by if they want to retain the player. Things usually turn out fine in the end, but it can get a bit uncomfortable, especially if a player says he's excited to go to another team only to end up returning to his former team should they decide to match contract terms (as they almost always do).

But there's no rule stating restricted free agency has to play out that way. Teams don't typically mind restricted free agents getting offers from other teams, as it keeps them from being in the position of negotiating against themselves. But if there's a mutual desire to get a come to terms on a new contract without going through the dance of having a player get an offer sheet from another team first, teams are free to sign their own restricted free agents. Such was the case with the Trail Blazers and fourth-year power forward Meyers Leonard, who signed with Portland without ever getting an offer sheet.

"Obviously when it comes to free agency, you talk to other teams, you try to gain interest," said Leonard during a press conference at the Trail Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin. "But my main focus was to be back here in Portland. I spent all four years here, Neil (Olshey) has been the guy that’s backed me since the beginning. I truly believe watching him from the outside just as a player, he can understand talent, he can understand the future. I appreciate that he believes in me, I believe the coaching staff has a firm belief that I can really do a lot of good things, that I can continue to develop and become a much better player, which I know I will as well."

It's possible Leonard could have received a larger offer from another team had he expressed a sincere desire to leave Portland, just as it's possible the Trail Blazers could have tried to sign Leonard to a smaller contract with other teams neglecting to force their hand by not offering the 7-1 power forward an offer sheet. But even though the NBA, as the oft-repeated saying goes, is a business, it doesn't mean that decisions are always made with business solely in mind. There are relationships to consider, and if both parties wanted the partnership to continue, there's no reason for either side to engage in hardball tactics just to either save a few million (if you're the team) or make a couple million more (if you're the player). If the Trail Blazers are serious about signing players who want to be in Portland -- and all indications point to that -- they have to reciprocate that desire, which they did by signing Leonard to a four-year deal.

"Player retention is huge for us, it’s a big part of the organization having consistency and stability," said Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey. "Having Meyers, who was our first draft pick sign on long term is a great situation for us. We know he’s got a great future ahead, he’s going to continue to develop, he’s already contributed a lot to the organization. He’s a joy to have around here and for myself, Paul (Allen), Chris (McGowan), we’re all happy he’s going to be a part of the organization for the foreseeable future."

But while the team has shown they are invested in Leonard's future by signing him to a four-year deal, that doesn't mean he has been promised anything. Between the addition of free agent center Festus Ezeli, the likelihood that small forward Al-Farouq Aminu plays considerable minutes this season at the four and the continued development of 20 year-old power forward Noah Vonleh, the competition for playing time among Portland's bigs will be as fierce this season as it has been in years.

"It’s good to have a deep roster and I feel I bring something way different than the average player, the average big brings, obviously the main one being shooting, spacing the floor," said Leonard. "But I continue to develop on the defensive end with my rebounding, being more aggressive, understanding the game much better and just allowing the game to slow down. As you gain in game experience and you continue to develop chemistry within this group. This young group, obviously, we surprised a lot of people. You go from 26.5 games to getting to the playoffs, getting to the second round and as I sat there during the playoffs, it was hard for me. One, because when we were losing, I knew I could be helping. And when we won, I wanted to be a part of it. So there’s a hunger inside of me and I’m excited for what I can bring to this team."

That hunger will have to be satiated off the court for the next few months, as Leonard continues to rehab from a shoulder injury that cut his 2015-16 season short. But in the long term, he'll Leonard has the opportunity to prove the belief Olshey and Terry Stotts have shown in him during his career in Portland has been well placed, just as the team will have the chance to have a player with a unique skillset signed long term to to what could end up being an incredible bargain of a four-year deal.

"I have enjoyed all four years here so far," said Leonard. "It’s been a progression for sure. I come in as a 20 year-old, wide-eyed, not really know what’s going and now, all the sudden, I know that I’ve been a factor and I know I can play and now it’s really time to take that next step. I feel like I’m really getting there, not just with the shoulder — that was a bit of a setback — but throughout parts of last year, I could really feel myself starting to come into my own and really being more consistent... I’ve been here with Dame all four years, Allen (Crabbe), CJ (McCollum), all the young guys. Now that we add more and more pieces, I’m excited and I know I can really be a big piece to this puzzle, because again, this is going to be an exciting time for the Trail Blazers."

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Leonard, Trail Blazers Both Get What They Want With Four-Year Deal

UPDATE: The team has officially announced that they have matched the Nets' offer sheet to Allen Crabbe, though a "formal announcement" and Crabbe actually signing the contract will not occur until later in the week.

After finishing up their pursuit of new free agents, the Trail Blazers have wasted little time in turning their attention to the free agents on their own roster. After reportedly signing restricted free agent power forward Meyers Leonard to a four-year deal, the Trail Blazers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, have matched the four-year, $75 million offer sheet the Brooklyn Nets tendered to third-year guard/forward Allen Crabbe, ensuring that the former Cal Bear will be back in Portland next season...

As is often the case when it comes to restricted free agents, the Nets offer to Crabbe, who has averaged 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game through three season, was considerably larger than many assumed the 6-6 wing would receive in an effort to discourage the Trail Blazers from matching. And after the Trail Blazers signed free agent guard/forward Evan Turner to a four-year deal, some assumed that combined with the size of the Nets offer might result in Trail Blazers letting Crabbe walk.

But that would not be the case. Crabbe has been a favorite of the front office and coaching staff since the team acquired former Pac-12 Player of the Year via trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2012 Draft. And though he played sparingly in his first two seasons, he saw his minutes increase dramatically in 2015-16, as he appeared in 81 games and responded with averages of 10.8 points on 44 percent shooting and 39 percent shooting from three, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists while serving as one of the team's best perimeter defenders.

There were rumors that outside of the money and years, Crabbe, who has typically come off the bench for the Trail Blazers, was intrigued by the opportunity to start and play a larger role with the Nets. But for his part, Crabbe seemed more than satisfied that he would be returning to Portland...

With Crabbe now signed, forward Maurice Harkless is the last Blazer still available on the free agent market. Like Crabbe, Harkless is a restricted free agent, which gives the Trail Blazers the right to match any offer he receives from another team. It is also possible for the Trail Blazers to sign Harkless even if he doesn't receive an offer sheet from another team, as they have reportedly did Sunday with restricted free agent power forward Meyers Leonard.

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Trail Blazers Match Four-Year Offer For Allen Crabbe

UPDATE: The team has officially announce that they have signed Meyers Leonard to a new contract. From the press release...

The Trail Blazers and Meyers Leonard sat down at the negotiating table prior to the start of the 2015-16 season in an effort to hammer out a new contract in an effort to keep the 7-1 power forward from hitting the (restricted) free agent market. Despite mutual interest, the two sides were unable to strike a deal, though considering the Trail Blazers had the right to match any offer Leonard received as a free agent, it always seemed likely he'd be back even if terms on an extension couldn't be reached.

As it turns out, an offer sheet from another team wasn't needed for both sides to ultimately come to an agreement.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Leonard and the Trail Blazers have agreed on a new four-year deal worth $41 million...

The reported four-year deal is roughly the same as the offer the Trail Blazers reportedly extended to Leonard prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. At the time, it was reasonable to assume Leonard might receive a larger offer from another team, as his combination of size, athleticism and shooting are highly sought after in today's NBA. But missing the final 20 games of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder, not to mention the widely-held assumption that the Blazers would match any reasonable offer for Leonard, likely cooled interest from other teams. And though he didn't say it explicitly, it always seemed as though Leonard's preference was to continue his career in Portland after being selected by the Trail Blazers with the 11th overall pick of the 2012 Draft.

"I was drafted here, I’ve been with Terry (Stotts) the entire time, Neil (Olshey) obviously drafted me, being here with now our franchise player Damian (Lillard)," said Leonard back in March. "So the future is bright here and I truly hope that I can be a big part of it."

Leonard returns to a big man rotation that features Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis, Noah Vonleh and Festus Ezeli, who signed with Portland as a free agent on Friday.

While Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey said the team is done chasing new free agents for the year, whether restricted free agents Maurice Harkless and Allen Crabbe, who received an offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets worth reportedly $75 million over four years on Thursday, return to Portland next season is still to be determined. The team has until 9 pm Sunday night to decide whether or not to match the offer made to Crabbe.

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Trail Blazers Sign Meyers Leonard To Four-Year Deal

Typically in NBA free agency, it's the duty of the team to woo the player they're interested in signing. Seeing as how there are only so many free agents to go around every year, the competition between teams to acquire their preferred players can often times be intense. The Clippers all but locking center DeAndre Jordan in a house last year in order to prevent him from signing with the Mavericks being the most recent example of the lengths teams will go to in order to obtain or retain their respective free agent targets.

But some free agents are easier to convince than others. And sometimes, they don't need any convincing. Such was the case with center Festus Ezeli, who signed a two-year deal reported to be worth $18 million, widely considered a ridiculous bargain in the 2016 free agent market, Thursday night. While the interest between Ezeli and the Trail Blazers was obviously mutual -- shoring up the team's interior defense was one of the main goals going into the offseason -- it sounds like in this case, it was the player who initiated the negotiations, something that is a rarity in the era in which some free agents seem to relish the opportunity to be wined and dined by teams desperate to secure their services.

"My agent contacted and I said ‘I want to be a part of this franchise’ because, like I said, I see a bright future of this team," said Ezeli Friday morning during his introductory press conference at the team's practice facility in Tualatin. "It doesn’t come very often when you have such talented guards like CJ (McCollum) and Damian (Lillard) and such a complete team with everybody else. I know Al-Farouq (Aminu)  just from playing with Nigeria, being around with the African scene, the African community works, I’ve known him through that. But I know that this team is full of high character guys and that’s a great start in itself, work ethic and all those things. I see good things happening here, I want to be a part of it."

Having played for the Golden State Warriors during his first three seasons after being selected with the 30th overall pick of the 2012 Draft, Ezeli knows a little something about what a team needs to be successful. And having matched up against the Trail Blazers on numerous occasions, the most recent being the series between his former and current teams during the 2016 Western Conference playoffs, and seeing how they performed, competed and the way they were supported, Ezeli entered his own free agency thinking Portland might be the place for him.

"First of all, this organization is first class," said Ezeli. "We played them in the playoffs so I’m pretty familiar with them playing in the West as well. I got to see a lot about the team’s character in those moments in battle on the court and that’s where you get to know the other team’s strengths and weaknesses. Their chemistry was something I really admired on the court. Second thing, the fans. I noticed when we came out here the fans were unbelievable. We take pride in our fans and as a basketball player you love your fans so when I saw that, saw the energy, I wanted to be a part of that. Great team, great coach, great fans. What more could you ask for from an organization?"

For the Trail Blazers, a team that has historically had a difficult time luring free agents, acquiring a player so enthusiastic about coming to Portland must have been a welcomed surprise, but it's not as if a willingness to sign on was enough. There still had to be a need on the roster, which was luckily for both Ezeli and the Trail Blazers.

"He’s coming from a very good defensive system in Golden State," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "His defensive rating in Golden State on an exceptional defensive team was outstanding, one of the best on the team. So he’s going to have an impact for our team, whether it’s in pick-and-roll, whether it’s defensive rebounding, whether it’s altering shots at the rim. He’s athletic, he has a long wingspan. In today’s NBA, particularly with the plan of playing Farouq (Aminu) more at four, he’s going to give us the ability to play a smaller lineup and still have a defensive component to it... I think his presence in the paint on the offensive end is going to cause problems as well. Team’s won’t be able to switch pick-and-rolls. So I think he’s going to have a positive impact on both ends of the court."

Much like the rest of Portland's roster, Ezeli still has room to grow, especially considering he didn't even pick up basketball until he was well into his teens.  And he has had surgeries on both knees in the last two years, which is likely to give some pause (especially considering the history of the franchise) despite Ezeli saying he's "100 percent healthy and ready to go." But to acquire a player with Ezeli's experience and skill set on a great value contract who also seems legitimately excited to play in Portland seems like an unmitigated success.

"I have to go home and kind of sit with my family and try to figure some things out, decompress a little bit, but I’m excited," said Ezeli. "I love this city, I love the people so far and I hear there’s a lot of great food over here, so I can’t wait to get to that. I’ll be back later this summer, I’ve got to go figure out the whole moving situation, but I’m excited."

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Ezeli Exhibits A Rare Enthusiasm In Joining The Trail Blazers

Evan Turner, who the Trail Blazer signed as a free agent almost immediately after the expiration of the NBA's July moratorium, hasn't been in Oregon for long, but he already shares at least one concern familiar to many residing in the area.

"I know the real estate market is booming," said Turner during his introductory press conference at the team's practice facility in Tualatin. "I can afford it for sure but I don’t want to get duped, you know what I’m saying? If they don’t negotiate right, I just can’t move in."

If the luck he's had recently with negotiations holds up, Turner is going to be just fine when it comes to buying a house in his new home. But unlike Portland's housing market, which could only be described as heavily favoring sellers, it sounds like the hammering out of a new four-year deal reportedly worth $70 million between Turner, his agent Kevin Bradbury and Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey was much more collaborative. In the Trail Blazers, Turner found a young team on the rise where his skills and personality seem to be almost ideal fits.

"I think my skill set, I can play with the ball in my hands and off the ball, a lot of attention can be towards (Lillard and McCollum), as it should be, in regards to the defense and everything," said Turner who has averaged 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists since being drafted with the second overall pick of the 2010 Draft. "I seen Chief (Aminu), he got freed up a lot. I like the bigs, how you have alley-oop options to them. I just thought the way they played is tough. They play with a lot of energy, a lot of toughness. They’re a top team and not only are they talented but they have a blue collar type identity."

And as for the Trail Blazers, they get a versatile, multi-positional player who can shore up their perimeter defense while unlocking the smaller lineups that Terry Stotts found success with during Portland's 44-win season, which culminated with a trip to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

"Watching video — it’s different during the process when you’re singling in on a guy and watching him versus preparing for the Celtics — he’s a really good facilitator, he’s a very good passer, a willing passer, I think his size helps him see things," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "One of the things that we wanted to do this year was to add another playmaker on the court. CJ and Dame had a lot of responsibility as far as being our playmakers, so we’re really counting on Evan to be a facilitator and playmaker for us, putting him in ball screens. He’s a very good, alert defender both on the ball and off the ball. He’s been a good teammate wherever he’s been, I think he fits into our culture and how we want to play, both on the ball and off the ball. He’s a very good rebounder for his position. Everything that we were looking for in that position, Evan fills it."

What's more, Turner fits the description of a player who wanted to come to Portland rather than simply settling for Portland, something that has been an important factor for Olshey in terms of player acquisition, which made for an easy negotiation.

"It’s been very important to us — in the last couple of years, we’ve talked about this — to have players that want to be here," said Olshey. "They believe in what we’re doing, they believe in this organization, they’re going to embrace the city of Portland, the fans and they’re willing to play the style of basketball we play. You can see just by sitting here what a high character guy Evan is. He’s an unselfish player, he’s versatile, he’s about making his teammates better and I think that’s going to be huge for us. I won’t go through where different guys were in the free agent process in terms of ranking, but the fact that we had a deal with Evan at 10 in the morning on July 1st probably tells you how highly coveted he was by us. We were aggressive in going after him, I didn’t want to get off the phone with his agent until we had a deal, it happened very quickly because we knew we had mutual interest."

While Turner fits well in terms of skills and age, one area of his game which is a bit incongruent with Portland's style of play is three-point shooting. Turner is just a 31 percent career three-point shooter and has failed to shoot better than 28 percent from deep in his last two season with the Boston Celtics, but he's hoping, as was the case with Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu, that playing in Portland will help improve his accuracy through both practice and osmosis.

"The coach told me everybody shoot the three better when he get here, so I’m going to have to trust him on that," said a half-joking Turner. "And once again, just keep working each day on it. Most importantly, taking good shots and making the right plays and making the right read. That’s what I’m going to try my best to do and attempt to do."

As is the case with any free agent negotiation, money and years obviously played an important role in luring Turner to Portland, but the opportunity to have a more prominent role than he's had on any of his previous teams on a roster coming off consecutive playoff appearances and one of the most surprising seasons in recent history was, as the kids say these days, a major key.

"The money is great obviously, but the situation, I’m really excited about the situation," said Turner. "I’ve found a great fit to play with great players and a good coach and a great organization that has a great culture."

Now he just needs to find a great place to live at a reasonable price.

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Trail Blazers Find The Right Fit In Evan Turner, And Vice Versa

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