Maurice Harkless and Allen Crabbe went from relative obscurity in their NBA careers to being key contributors on a playoff team.
Harkless started to show a spark in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 12 points and six rebounds. His numbers against Golden State weren’t as nice, but he did get hurt and only played seven minutes in game three against the Warriors; that was a step up from his regular season averages of 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Crabbe went from playing 66 games in two seasons to playing 81 in 2015-16. He averaged 10.3 points, up from 2.2 and 3.3 the two years prior. The fear of letting a budding sharpshooter walk has to be weighing on the mind of Portland Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey.
No general manager likes to develop talent just to let it walk out the door in free agency. Ask the Utah Jazz if they would have shuffled salary knowing what Wesley Matthews turned into after his showing in the 2009-10 playoffs that got him paid.
The potential for both players to make a C.J. McCollum-esque jump next season is there. The problem for Portland becomes the market this year. The cap is going to jump and salaries in the NBA are going to be inflated.
Can the Blazers tie up ten to fourteen million dollars on each of these two guys knowing that they are so young? Teams are going to put offers in on Crabbe and Harkless. The question is what Olshey is willing to spend on potential. He has shown a knack for bargain shopping in free agency and trades.
Portland got Harkless for next to nothing from Orlando and Crabbe was a second-round pick.
Are Crabbe and Harkless worth the money for the production or potential risk/reward when there will be bargains to be had in free agency? Or play the patient game because the ultimate goal has to be winning a championship?
The one time Olshey got ahead of himself, he got burned. I venture to think that if he had a do-over he would consider using it on the trade for Aaron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee. The Blazers lost their first-round pick this season, Will Barton, Thomas Robinson and Victor Claver. Afflalo never meshed and left in free agency the next season.
If the money isn’t right, they have to let one or both players walk. McCollum is going to get a healthy raise in the next season or two. Overpaying for role players is not the way to build a championship caliber roster.
This is a business and the players need to look out for their best interest and the Blazers need to do the same.
It would be nice to see both young players back in Portland, but not at the cost of cap flexibility. The ultimate goal has to be winning a championship.
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