Trail Blazers News: Expert Unpacks MLE Free Agent Options For Portland

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 10, 2024

Oct 28, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin. / Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers as currently comprised seem likely to butt up against the NBA's luxury tax next season, and as such may need to look to the mid-level exception to shore up their roster depth in 2024-25, opines Peter Sampson of ClutchPoints. General manager Joe Cronin has a lot of big decisions to make.

Supposing that a (probably) lottery-bound team would want to pay the luxury task is perhaps a bit generous (presumably Cronin will offload any onerous deals to get under the cap), but for the purposes of this exercise let's allow it.

Well-traveled 3-and-D forward Royce O'Neale, currently with the slightly-disappointing Phoenix Suns as a reserve three behind sharpshooting starter Grayson Allen, is floated as a good potential prospect by Sampson. "A hard-nosed wing who can play as a big man in smaller lineups, O'Neale is versatile on defense and can hit spot-up jumpers from the 3-point line," Sampson writes. He's currently earning $9.5 million this year.

Floor-spacing Golden State Warriors center Dario Saric is posited as a potential option, but honestly his injury history and defensive limitations might make him much cheaper than a mid-level exception kind of signing. He's on a veteran's minimum deal right now, and that feels closer to what his value will be on this summer's open market, too.

Finally, Sampson suggests a Portland native, Miami Heat floor-spacing reserve center Kevin Love. Love, like Saric, will probably cost less than the full mid-level. Unlike Saric, he's a proven winner in tough situations (and, yes, a future Hall of Famer). A great rebounder and shooter, he should still have real appeal to a lot of contending teams. Why would he ditch the opportunity to win another title elsewhere in favor of playing for his hometown team? An egregious overpay to the tune of the full mid-level exception, perhaps.