FanShot

Ford: Remaining Available FA Centers Blazers Could Target

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Chad Ford of ESPN.com looks at some of the remaining available free agents and discusses the possibility of a few centers landing with the Portland Trail Blazers, who missed out on restricted free agent center Roy Hibbert after the Indiana Pacers decided to retain him. --------------------------------- JaVale McGee, C, Nuggets (R): The Nuggets were in a great bargaining situation with McGee until Monday. Before then, they were the only team with cap space making a serious run at him. However, now that word has leaked that the Pacers will match Portland's offer to Roy Hibbert, the competition may stiffen. The Blazers could make a run at McGee (though the early signals are they won't). Robin Lopez, C, Suns (R): Lopez doesn't have nearly the same reputation as his brother Brook, but he can be a force defensively and had a very solid 15.25 PER last season. For all the teams that missed out on the big fish in free agency, he might be a nice consolation prize. With the right offer, the tight-fisted Suns might not match. The Blazers could be a real option here. Chris Kaman, C, Hornets: Kaman had his fingers crossed that the Pacers weren't going to match the Blazers' offer to Roy Hibbert. He would've surely gotten a big multiyear offer from Indiana had they decided to pass. Now that Hibbert appears to be headed back to Indy, things will get tougher for Kaman. He could be forced to take a one-year deal like Humphries and Landry. --------------------------------- Blazers GM Neil Olshey told reporters on Monday that the team's next moves would likely come through trade rather than another free agency pursuit. The Blazers have contacted Lopez, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. ed: text edited, bumped to front page