How Valuable Is Jusuf Nurkic as a Free Agent?

Portland Trail Blazers’ starting center Jusuf Nurkic enters the season on the last year of his contract, making him a free agent at the end of this season.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report ranked Nurkic as the 10th-highest upcoming free agent on his updated free agency big board.

Nurkic rarely puts up the kind of individual stat lines that generate headlines or earn him national TV postgame interviews, but there’s a steadiness to his production and impact that has consistently made Portland better as long as he’s been there.

This season, in just 24.3 minutes, Nurkic is averaging 11.1 rebounds, 10.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals. The Blazers are plus-6.2 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor and minus-4.0 when he’s off.

Nurkic ranks 10th out of 10 players on the big board, just behind Washington Wizards big man Montrezl Harrell.

Nurkic is enjoying a season in which he is currently averaging a career high in rebounds despite a slight dip in scoring. Portland holds Nurkic’s Bird rights entering this offseason, meaning it can exceed the salary cap to retain the Bosnian big man if it doesn’t mind the luxury tax bill that may come with doing so.