After sending away Norman Powell and Robert Covington, the Blazers made another trade with the Pelicans, sending out the likes of CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tonisnell, with Josh Hart, Tomasz Satoransky, Nikil Alexander Walker, Marcos Lozada Silva, a 2022 first-rounder and two future second-rounders. Sending Powell away is understandable, after all, Anfine Simmons is getting better and better, and sending McCollum away means that the Blazers' two-gun era is completely over.
Not only that, but damien Lillard underwent abdominal surgery that was likely to result in Lillard being reimbursed for the season, all of which actually proves the fact that the Blazers have given up on the season altogether. In fact, there is nothing wrong with the Blazers giving up this season, and now their record is not ideal, the stars have also undergone surgery, and the team's roster has changed dramatically, so it is better to lower the luxury tax first and wait for next season to make a comeback.
After the trade, the core of the Blazers has not changed, or Lillard, in addition to Simmons, Yusuf Nurkic, Hart and others, it can be said that such a lineup is still not competitive enough. But it doesn't matter, the Blazers have enough time to complete the signings, the 2022 offseason will be their main signing period, and the Blazers' main way of signing will be naked because they have enough salary space.
In the 22-23 season, the Blazers' main contracts are as follows: Lillard $42.49 million, Hart $12.96 million (no guarantee, can be converted to full coverage), Silva $1.88 million, Walker $5 million, Nasir Littler $4.17 million and Greg Brown $1.56 million, the remaining Simmons and others are restricted players, the Blazers can choose to match other teams' contracts. It's not hard to see that the Blazers have enough salary space in the offseason, and the total salary of their several contracts next season is only about $68.06 million, while the league's salary cap next season is $121 million, which means that the Blazers will have $52.92 million of space in the offseason.
What does $52.92 million in salary space mean? This means that the Blazers can sign a top-paid player naked, and there is room to get a player with good fighting ability, so the Blazers in the 2022 offseason will be the most attractive players in the free agent market, Bradley Beal, Zach Lavin and others will become free agents in the offseason, and the Blazers can consider giving them a maximum salary. Of course, the Blazers' goals are definitely not limited to the likes of Bill and LaVine, and Bill and LaVine are both defenders, and there are some conflicts with Lillard, Simmons and others, so the Blazers' goal is probably to consider the front and inside.
On the inside, the Suns' DeAndre Ayton could be a target for the Trail Blazers. Ayton is the 2018 champion, the same luka Doncic and Trae Young both got a super top salary, the Suns did not have the idea of giving Ayton a maximum salary. In the 2022 offseason, Ayton will be a restricted free agent, i.e. Ayton can accept offers from other teams, but the Suns have priority matching rights. If the Trail Blazers want to pursue Ayton, they can give Ayton a top-salary contract with a starting salary cap of 25%, a 5% increase, and a maximum of 4 years, which is about $130.8 million for 4 years based on the $121 million salary cap.
The initiative of Ayton to stay is in the hands of the Suns, and although the Blazers have salary space, they may not really pursue Ayton, and they may not really pursue Ayton. However, Ayton is likely to become a beneficiary, and he can use the Trail Blazers to raise his value in order to pursue a higher salary. In fact, the Sun is a little stingy in renewing Ayton's contract, Ayton's talent is good, his career is gradually entering the peak, it is not too much to send a maximum salary contract in advance, and if he has to use the right of priority matching, I am afraid that he will not be able to retain Ayton in the future. People like Doncic, Trae Young and others have received the top salary contract in advance, and Ayton is considered to have been snubbed, and he does not know whether he can get a satisfactory contract in the offseason.
Text/Duncan's laugh