The NBA Offseason is here, and the Portland Trail Blazers are looking for another big name or a few more depth pieces. The Blazers can make enough cap space to add a max contract player and could be surprising threats this offseason. With that in mind, here are the three biggest Trail Blazers storylines to watch for during the 2016 NBA offseason.
3. Bringing Back The RFAs
The Trail Blazers have three notable restricted free agents in Allen Crabbe, Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard. Crabbe and Harkless in particular showed real ability last year and played key roles. All three should draw interest, and it's up to the Blazers if they want to match any offers they get and keep them. Whether they do or not might depend on which free agents Portland tries to land, but all three are key role players at least. Crabbe and Harkless in particular need to be brought back.
2. Getting Guard Help
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum carried the back court last year for the Trail Blazers. They averaged a combined 45 points per game last year, so that's not the worst thing. But they need some help, if only for when one or both sit on the bench. Backups Brian Roberts and Gerald Henderson are both free agents, while Crabbe is more of a wing than an ideal point guard. The Trail Blazers have the cap space to go add a point guard or a combo guard. It's still unclear which player(s) Portland could target.
1. Can They Land A Star Big Man?
Mason Plumlee was great at snatching rebounds and being a rim protector in the postseason. But the Noah Vonleh didn't take the step forward like the Blazers had hoped, while Chris Kaman is also a free agent. Leonard was inconsistent and Harkless is better as a SF than a PF. The Blazers can clear enough cap space to make add a max contract player, and that makes them dark horses for Hassan Whiteside and Al Horford. Both players are going to get interest, but with a young core and money to spend, Portland could be a threat. If the Trail Blazers miss out on those two, someone cheaper like Dwight Howard and Festus Ezeli could be an option. However, those players only bring marginally better offense than what Plumlee offers. Another option is trading for Greg Monroe, who Portland wanted last offseason. The Bucks are trying to move him, and the Trail Blazers have the cap space to add him.