NBA: 5 Free Agents That Will Have The Biggest Impact Of Their New Teams
By Ray Petree
Evan Turner, Portland Trail Blazers
As a devout Celtics fan, I have an affinity for Evan Turner. Some fans would call him a bust, and maybe he sounds like Meatwad, but really he’s a poor man’s swiss army knife. At 6-foot-7, he’s a permissible rebounder and scorer, who excels as a perimeter defender thanks to his surprising wingspan. Sadly, Turner’s talents didn’t come at a poor man’s price. More like $70 million. That’s right, 7-0. Not 7, not 17 – 70.
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You may be asking how a role player is the fifth most impactful free agent. Fair question. Four years, $70 million doesn’t seem like a very lucrative deal for Portland, but his skillset is paramount for Portland’s growth.
The Blazers are a great offensive team, opting to a three-point-obsessed offense since the departure of Lamarcus Aldridge. And thanks to Terry Stotts, the transition was seamless. There is one caveat though – Portland is a bad defensive team. Specifically the 20th worst defensive team in the NBA. So adding a great perimeter defender with Freddy Krueger arms will certainly aid their defensive woes.
The second reason why I love Turner to Portland is his play making. For a 6-foot-7 shooting guard, the man can dish the rock. So imagine relieving Damian Lillard of his traditional point guard duties, and allowing Tuner to grab the rebound and run the break. With weapons like Meyers Leonard, Allen Crabbe, Al-Farouq Aminu, C.J. McCollum and Dame Dolla’ at his disposal, that’s just frightening.
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