Spring Break
Blazers: Deal or no deal?
Ben Bradea
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Sports
After Saturday's convincing win against division rival Utah, the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in 4th place in the NBA Western Conference with a record of 29-17.
The team has been on a hot streak lately and has been developing great chemistry within the team. The Blazers, however, currently owning Raef LaFrentz's expiring contract, could possibly have the biggest trade chip for possible use before the Feb. 19 trading deadline. In NBA front offices, this is known as a super-expiring contract, due to the $12.72 million that comes off the books of the team holding the contract's cap at the end of the season, along with 80 percent of his contract being paid by an insurance company because of LaFrentz's shoulder injury.
An acquiring team will only have to give up $4 million by acquiring LaFrentz. By packaging LaFrentz's contract with some of the young talent the Blazers have, they have the possibility to make a big splash in the trade market.
The question is inevitable: Will the Blazers make this move to potentially bolster the roster and vault into championship contender discussion, or will they sit back and let the youngest team in the league continue to grow while not disrupting the chemistry? It's a tough decision that Kevin Pritchard, the Blazers general manager, is faced with.
While battling with this decision, it's clear that the biggest area of need for the Blazers is a more polished point guard than current Blazers point guard Steve Blake. There are a few point guards on the market that the Blazers can look into as possible acquisitions.
Kirk Hinrich, Raymond Felton and Andre Miller are three capable players that can be dealt by their teams, and each of them could serve as an upgrade for the Blazers. On top of the expiring contract the Blazers have, their roster is littered with great, young talent.
Bench players such as Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez are held up in high regard across the league, but are also expendable players. Martell Webster and Jerryd Bayless are more than capable of stepping into those spots and performing to the same level.
The team has been on a hot streak lately and has been developing great chemistry within the team. The Blazers, however, currently owning Raef LaFrentz's expiring contract, could possibly have the biggest trade chip for possible use before the Feb. 19 trading deadline. In NBA front offices, this is known as a super-expiring contract, due to the $12.72 million that comes off the books of the team holding the contract's cap at the end of the season, along with 80 percent of his contract being paid by an insurance company because of LaFrentz's shoulder injury.
An acquiring team will only have to give up $4 million by acquiring LaFrentz. By packaging LaFrentz's contract with some of the young talent the Blazers have, they have the possibility to make a big splash in the trade market.
The question is inevitable: Will the Blazers make this move to potentially bolster the roster and vault into championship contender discussion, or will they sit back and let the youngest team in the league continue to grow while not disrupting the chemistry? It's a tough decision that Kevin Pritchard, the Blazers general manager, is faced with.
While battling with this decision, it's clear that the biggest area of need for the Blazers is a more polished point guard than current Blazers point guard Steve Blake. There are a few point guards on the market that the Blazers can look into as possible acquisitions.
Kirk Hinrich, Raymond Felton and Andre Miller are three capable players that can be dealt by their teams, and each of them could serve as an upgrade for the Blazers. On top of the expiring contract the Blazers have, their roster is littered with great, young talent.
Bench players such as Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez are held up in high regard across the league, but are also expendable players. Martell Webster and Jerryd Bayless are more than capable of stepping into those spots and performing to the same level.
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