The Portland Trail Blazers haven't been very active so far this summer. It's safe to say that fans in Portland expected more from their team this offseason, as it is obvious that the Trail Blazers are still way behind the best teams in the NBA. Their 2016/2017 season was solid. Portland finished at the eighth spoth in the Western Conference with a 41-41 record. They made the playoffs narrowly but ended up getting swept in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. But even though they got swept, Portland's season wasn't a total failure. Portland's biggest move this offseason was trading Allen Crabbe to the Nets in exchange for Andrew Nicholson.
Nicholson ended up getting waived by the Blazers right after he was traded, but earlier this week it was announced that Portland acquired another good, young player.
CJ Wilcox signs with the Trail Blazers
Neil Olshey, president of basketball operations for the Portland Trail Blazers, announced earlier this week that the team has signed a two-way contract with CJ Wilcox. Wilcox is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, drafted as the 28th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2014 NBA Draft. He spent the first two seasons of his career with the Clippers, and last season he played for the Orlando Magic. Wilcox has played 66 games so far in the NBA, and holds career averages of 2.0 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game while shooting 37% from the field.
He signed a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers, which means that he will spend time on an NBA G League roster next season as well as playing for the Blazers. Wilcox’s G League assignment has yet to be determined since Portland does not have its own G League affiliate. He will most likely serve as a backup guard for the Blazers, playing behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
Lawson's career continues in China
According to ESPN's reports, Ty Lawson will play in China next season. Lawson reportedly signed a deal with Shandong Golden Stars that could be worth between $2.4 million and $3 million. He will join forces with his former teammate Donatas Motiejunas, as it was reported earlier this week that Motiejunas also signed a contract with Shandong Golden Stars.
Lawson entered the NBA in 2009, and his best year was during the 2013/2014 season with the Denver Nuggets as he averaged 17.6 points and 8.8 assists per game that season. Last season Lawson played 69 games for the Sacramento Kings and averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Kings. The 5-foot-11 point guard will turn 30 in November, and we should expect to see him back in the NBA before he retires.
