It’s never easy to say goodbye to a franchise stalwart. Portland Trail Blazers fans have had to say goodbye to luminaries like Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, and Brandon Roy in the past while bidding farewell to LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, and CJ McCollum in more recent years.
As Portland pivots to a new era of the franchise after nabbing the third overall pick, it may be time to say goodbye to Jusuf Nurkic.
After acquiring Nurkic and a first-round pick for Mason Plumlee and a second-rounder during the 2016-2017 season, Nurkic came off the bench for his first game in Portland and has started every game he’s played in since, playoffs or otherwise.