After receiving some interest from the Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations and general manager Neil Olshey has agreed to an extension with his team.
Despite some struggles from a player personnel standpoint, this can’t be considered too much of a surprise. Portland extended head coach Terry Stotts immediately after being swept out of the Western Conference Finals by the Golden State Warriors. The two seem to be tied at the hip.
Under Olshey, the Blazers have earned five consecutive playoff appearances while winning 50-plus games two times during that span.
At issue here are the contracts Olshey has handed out to role players in the past.
- Evan Turner: Four-year, $70 million
- Meyers Leonard: Four-year, $41 million
- Maurice Harkless: Four-year, $42 million
- Al-Farouq Aminu: Four-year, $32 million
With the exception of Leonard, none of these players performed at a high level during the playoffs. Despite struggles from Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, this is one of the primary reasons Portland was swept by Golden State.
The good news? All four are entering the latter part of their contracts. Meanwhile, it looks like the Blazers are about to sign Lillard to a super-max extension.
This summer is going to be big for both Olshey as they look to compete with the big dogs out west moving forward.