After a rough start to the season, the Portland Trail Blazers sit at a frustrating 15-22. Portland has the second highest payroll in the NBA at just over 120 million for the 2016-17 season, according to HoopsHype. Those numbers seem to contradict each other as higher paying teams normally are contending at the top of their conference. Portland as a smaller market won’t continue to pay a higher payroll (luxury tax) for underperforming talent.
Paul Allen, owner of the Trail Blazers talked about the team paying the luxury tax going forward before the season began back in training camp. “That darn luxury tax is pretty painful. You have to make those decisions. As you know at one point, I believe I had the record for the highest luxury tax payments. In the end that didn’t make sense. That is something we will have to look at very carefully. Sometimes you can go into the tax for a year and come out of it, if it makes sense as you’re transitioning through different player contracts. It’s something Neil and I will evaluate very carefully.”
It’s been reported that teams will hit the luxury tax at $113.3 million this season.
Portland is projected once again to have another high payroll next year with all of the contracts that they currently hold. Portland retained all of their major restricted free agents this summer along with adding Evan Turner after the teams surprising run last season.
“They were all very deliberate decisions. We evaluated.” Allen said. “The financial consequences are significant but that’s because we believe in this group of guys and they showed what they can do last year.”
This team is not living up to the level that they are all getting paid, except Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The Trail Blazers are still in contention to make the playoffs but have offered little hope so far this season that they can sustain the level of play necessary to make the playoffs.
As the trade deadline draws closer, Portland has to be looking at ways to improve. Perhaps a trade would help the dynamics of this team with another outside shooter or defensive big who can rebound. A trade seems like a possibility with the variety of contracts they have with a team that is not winning games like they did last season. The Trail Blazers have the second youngest roster in the NBA, so getting teams to take a chance on a young player is not out of the realm of possibilities.
As it stands it seems like the money that Meyers Leonard, Allen Crabbe and Turner were given this past offseason has been hard to play up too. Crabbe is owed $18.5 million this season and Turner $16.3 million. Both are highly overpaid for what they are producing.
It doesn’t seem like Portland would continue to pay a luxury tax as mentioned as well as a very high payroll if this team doesn’t make the playoffs. Either this team performs better the rest of the way or there will be changes to this roster. If Portland was one of the top teams in the West and contending for a title, you could find reason for the team to keep paying the luxury tax. Rip City has to win consistently in order for them to justify spending the second highest salary in the league, otherwise changes are ahead for this offseason. It will be interesting to see what transpires before the trade deadline and if this team can win more games.