The 2016 NBA offseason will not be easily forgotten by Portland Trail Blazers fans. That summer the Blazers doled out hefty contracts to three young, unproven players, a journeyman wing, and then a more modest amount to an injury-prone big man who never played a game for the team.
Over the next three years, Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey gradually jettisoned each player to lower the burden on the team’s burgeoning player payroll. But the price of that off-season lingers on in memory and, even on the team’s books.