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The Portland Trail Blazers will have big NBA Free Agency matters to deal with in-house given Jusuf Nurkic (restricted), Ed Davis, Pat Connaughton (restricted), and Shabazz Napier (restricted) up for new contracts. With a bloated payroll, their priorities will likely lie in retaining their own players, but they could use a No. 3 finish in the Western Conference to entice veterans.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report thinks this approach could work with Omri Casspi, who would be the “best” player Portland could add given its team construction and payroll:
Failing serious salary-shedding maneuvers, the Blazers should be consigned to surfing the minimum-contract market. Finding gems on a beggar’s dime is a matter of luck and proximity to the NBA Finals, but Omri Casspi’s unsuccessful tenure with Golden State presents a unique opportunity.
Another team could offer him more, perhaps knifing into their mid-level or bi-annual exceptions. But Casspi’s bizarre aversion to threes on the Warriors hurts him. He needs to recapture his sweet-shooting form.
The Blazers should be more than excited to bet small on his redemption. Casspi is just two years removed from swishing 40.9 percent of his threes on 5.2 attempts per 36 minutes, and he remains a good cutter with fair-weather handles and the chops to tussle with small-ball 4s.
Casspi averaged 5.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting 45.5 percent from three last season (he only attempted 22 three-pointers).
For his nine-year career, he’s averaging 8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 36.9 percent from three.