After losing LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency, the Portland Trail Blazers understand that they are no longer title contenders, and maybe not even playoff contenders in 2015-16. The team is now Damian Lillard's after he agreed to a massive five-year extension. To go along with Lillard, the Trail Blazers have a few question marks and a lot of young guys that they hope to give some playing time to. This means that Chris Kaman could be the odd man out in the Blazers' rotation, and it is being reported that they could trade him and his expiring contract, according to CSNNW.com.
The Blazers decided not to waive Kaman last month, which made his $5 million salary for this season fully guaranteed. One of the reasons he wasn't waived is because he is very well liked by the organization and his teammates. Another reason is the mentorship he has provided for Meyers Leonard, and they hope he will provide for newcomer Mason Plumlee.
The current plan is to not trade Kaman and to keep him as a backup plan on the bench, but Blazers GM Neil Olshey reportedly said he wouldn't rule it out.
"Chris has value to us as a player, as a person, but he also understands the business nature of this, that if he has to be included in a deal, he was ready to roll the dice because it was more preferable to him to maybe have the opportunity to stay in Portland," Olshey said.
Kaman played his first season with the Blazers last year and got a significant amount of minutes off the bench and performed well, averaging 8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game. The Blazers were a playoff team last year, and having a veteran coming off the bench was valuable. This year, they more than likely won't be a playoff team. Because of that, Kaman probably won't see much playing time, as the Blazers will use this year to gage what they have in their young players.
It is unknown what Kaman wants to do for next year. He is at the age where he likely wants to win and contribute to a winning team, and he showed last year that he could be very effective off the bench for a team. Kaman could probably ask for a trade to a contender if he wants to go that route, or he can decide to stick it out for one more year in Portland and become a free agent next year. Either way, the Blazers and their players had nothing but great things to say about the veteran Kaman, and he will more than likely land on his feet.
