Should the Blazers Look to Dump Salary This Summer?

With NBA Summer League in the books, the NBA will now enter a sort-of hibernation period. No more games and NBA free agency winding down means most upcoming moves will likely be minimal trades/signings to fill out rosters for the upcoming season.

The Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in a difficult dilemma: to trade or not to trade a big contract? There are pros and cons to each side of the argument, and as we’ve seen the last few offseasons, it’s unlikely to do a salary dump straight up without sacrificing assets. That said, Danny Leroux of the Athletic (subscription required) believes Portland is a team that should look to gain flexibility, but might not be committed to salary-saving moves:

Billionaire owners who are willing to spend on their teams are a godsend for fan bases, as the Trail Blazers would normally be a team ready to give up assets to unload salary considering they are about $8 million over the tax line with Jusuf Nurkic’s projected salary. Something bigger involving Meyers Leonard or Evan Turner should not be written off yet, but signing Nurkic to a seven-figure salary sends a clear signal that Allen is willing to pay the tax this season.

Should the Blazers pursue a salary dump this offseason? What teams would be interested? What assets would be necessary? Let us know in the comments.

Editor’s note: Thank you to Blazer’s Edge contributor Kody Tarbell for this write-up.