PORTLAND, Ore. — Add ESPN's Kevin Pelton to the growing list of media members, fans and others unimpressed with the Trail Blazers' offseason.
Pelton released his offseason rankings (the article is behind a paywall) for every team in the Western Conference on Tuesday. He wasn't kind to the Blazers. Pelton called Jusuf Nurkic's new contract "reasonable" but was otherwise stingy with the accolades.
Citing Seth Curry's injury history, Pelton was cautiously optimistic about the signing of Steph Curry's little brother, but questioned whether second-year big men Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan can replace the production of backup center Ed Davis, who signed with the Brooklyn Nets when Portland made it clear they weren't interested in bringing him back.
Here's what Pelton wrote about the Blazers:
After getting swept out of the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, the Blazers brought back their starting five but made over their bench. Center Jusuf Nurkic, a restricted free agent, signed a new four-year deal with $40 million guaranteed that seems reasonable for both sides. However, Portland lost reserves Pat Connaughton, Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier in free agency. Presuming he's able to avoid a recurrence of the stress injuries that wiped out his 2017-18 season, Seth Curry should be able to replace the shooting and playmaking provided by Connaughton and Napier. Filling the void left by Davis' departure will be up to second-year players Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, who might not be up to the task.
Other pundits have been equally unimpressed with Portland's offseason moves. NBC Sports gave Portland a C+, and USA TODAY Sports, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report all gave the Blazers a C.
Here's a look at every grade handed out to Western Conference teams by ESPN:
- Golden State Warriors: A-
- Los Angeles Lakers: A-
- Dallas Mavericks: B+
- Oklahoma City Thunder: B+
- Denver Nuggets: B
- New Orleans Pelicans: B
- Memphis Grizzlies: C+
- LA Clippers: C
- Utah Jazz: C-
- Minnesota Timberwolves: C-
- Portland Trail Blazers: C-
- Houston Rockets: D+
- Phoenix Suns: D+
- Sacramento Kings: D
- San Antonio Spurs: D
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