Neil Olshey suggested during his season-ending press conference what the first round of the playoffs made abundantly clear. As admirable as Enes Kanter played at times in 2020-21, the Trail Blazers' sweeping defensive issues mean he's unlikely to return next season, hardly surprising for a big man who was summarily played off the floor by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the postseason.
Who might Portland go after to replace him behind Jusuf Nurkic? One of the most disruptive defenders in all of basketball has emerged as a likely target for the Blazers in free agency.
According to Evan Massey of Hoops Analysis, Portland is expected to pursue New York Knicks center Nerlens Noel once free agency tips off on August 2.
Noel, 27, averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.1 steals in 24.2 minutes per game with the Knicks this season. He played more sparingly in New York's five-game loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, beset by a right ankle sprain suffered in Game 1 that left Noel on a minutes restriction for the series' remainder.
A dexterous athlete for a center with incredible hands, Noel boasted awesome block and steal rates of 8.7 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively, with the Knicks—numbers previously reached by the same player in a given season just three times in league history, per analysis at Stathead Basketball. Noel also allowed just 51.7 percent shooting in the restricted area, according to NBA.com/stats, an elite number on par with that of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Noel is a one-note offensive player, with no range outside the basket and limited ball skills in the dribble hand-off game. At a lithe 220 pounds, he doesn't exactly erase defenders with screens a la Jusuf Nurkic, either.
Despite those deficiencies and the surprising fact that New York actually fared better defensively when he was on the bench last season, Noel will surely be one of the most sought-after backup centers on the open market come August. Whether that means the Blazers should spend their limited financial resources—most likely and notably the $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception—on a reserve at the league's most expendable position is another story entirely.
Noel played on a one-year, $5 million contract next season. Expect his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, to seek a deal this summer worth at least that much spanning multiple seasons—perhaps taking Portland out of the running for Noel depending on how Neil Olshey answers the bigger questions about his roster.
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