The Portland Trail Blazers realized midway through the 2016-17 NBA season that if they were going to take that next step as a team, they would need viable weapons outside their dynamic backcourt pairing of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. As a result, they made the deal to acquire center Jusuf Nurkic, who had been floundering in his third season with the Denver Nuggets after being derailed by injuries.
Nurkic's immediate success with the Blazers will likely make him one of the most sought-after free agents next summer. However, according to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated, his agent Aylton Tesch says the big man from Bosnia has reportedly expressed interest in staying in Portland long-term:
“I feel like the Blazers are very happy with Jusuf and Jusuf is very happy there,” Tesch said. “We had some [extension] talks but we decided to play it out this year and engage in talks again in July. He has already proven that he can help the team. There is a fit for Jusuf in Portland and he’s looking to stay there long-term.”
The former first-round pick averaged just eight points and 5.8 rebounds while playing 17.9 minutes per game in 45 games with Denver last season. Following the trade, he nearly doubled those numbers with 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds in 29.2 minutes.
Nurkic's scoring ability in the post and presence on the block has helped Portland get off to a competitive 9-7 start to the 2017-18 NBA season. If the Blazers can lock up him next summer, that very well could be the frontcourt piece they need to help with their playoff push in the years to come.
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