It's been a mildly busy summer for the Portland Trail Blazers, as the Western Conference Finals runner-ups regroup in the offseason, looking to make tweaks to a team that was one round away from an NBA Finals berth.
Portland's general manager Neil Olshey, however, says the Oregon team is “done making moves for the summer,” per Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin.
https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1155906541314138114
The Blazers signed veteran big man Pau Gasol, a two-time champion, to a one-year deal for $2.6 million, pushing their roster size to 14 players after including the 39-year-old Spaniard.
Gasol last played for the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs during the 2018-19 season but was significantly sidelined due to a foot injury. It's unclear if Olshey and the Blazers expect Gasol, an 18-year vet and six-time All-Star, to play heavy minutes in the team's rotation.
Portland also re-signed shooting guard Rodney Hood, the 6-foot-8 bench piece acquired near the trade deadline last February from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, and a 2021 second-round pick. Hood averaged 9.6 points in 24.4 minutes per game for the Blazers.
The biggest blow to the Blazers' core was their involvement in the four-team Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade. When the Philadelphia 76ers sent the four-time All-Star swingman to the Miami Heat, Portland received center Hassan Whiteside in exchange for Meyers Leonard, and also sent Maurice Harkless to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Whiteside, known for his fickle temperament and prodigious shot blocking, will ostensibly battle for minutes against center Jusuf Nurkic, who's recovering from a leg fracture suffered at the end of March.
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