TUALATIN, Ore. — Thursday morning was the inauguration for a new era of the Portland Trail Blazers, extolling the virtues of youth, cap flexibility and a fearless new leader.
Over the same length as a “Lord of the Rings” movie, President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey, newly minted $130 million man Damian Lillard, head coach Terry Stotts and newly signed free-agents Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis took the stage in the theater room of the Blazers’ practice facility.
Olshey took questions on how the team lost four-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge to the NBA’s model franchise, the San Antonio Spurs.
Olshey explained his actions were informed by being jilted by Elton Brand when he left the Clippers in 2008 for Philadelphia. Olshey said that left his team with a mix of highly paid veterans and raw youth with no superstar to bring everyone together.
This time, Olshey said he wants to build around players at similar points in their careers. He said Portland would have only tried to bring back free agents Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez if Aldridge also would have stayed.
Instead, Portland will build around homegrown talent and the young players they’ve recently acquired.
Lillard — ready for the cameras and microphones as always — then took to the stage.
“I’m really excited about it,” Lillard said. “It’s been a long time coming as far as being able to comfortably be able to lead the team. I’m really excited about the guys that we brought in.”
“I think what’s going to make this transition easier is, there is no confusion now,” Olshey said. “Their eye line goes right to Damian. He’s going to set the tone from an organizational standpoint about what we expect from our players culturally on and off the court. How we play, how we behave, what our values are.”
Over the past few years, Lillard says that leading by example was the only thing he could do.
“There were times when I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” said Lillard, who repeatedly went out of his way in past seasons to say that Aldridge was the team’s best and most important player. “We had multiple guys on the team that would lead in different ways. Wes was a really emotional leader. He would say everything that came to his mind. LA was quiet, but from time to time he would say something he would throw things out there.”
Lillard is now the longest-tenured Blazer, along with Meyers Leonard.
And he also has no options built into his contract.
“I’m not going to be one foot in, one foot out,” Lillard said on forgoing options on his deal. “We have a young team now, it might not be great to begin with,” he said. “Or it could be better than what people think. I’m willing to deal with that.”
“Sitting here listening to him, it’s so obvious to me why we have the trust in him that we do,” Stotts said. “He’s more than capable and more than ready for this next change, beyond the basketball.”
Lillard looks forward to it.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” he said.
The introductions of Aminu and Davis followed with neither quite sure what their role will be.
Stotts isn’t quite sure what the team will look like offensively. Olshey said the Blazers must question whether using their cap space to sign a free-agent in the remaining market is worth giving up the flexibility.
The Blazers reportedly signed Oklahoma City restricted free agent center Enes Kanter to a 4-year offer sheet worth $70 million hours later.
An added benefit of the Kanter offer sheet is forcing division rival Oklahoma City to go over the luxury tax threshold.
The Oklahoman quoted Thunder general manager Sam Presti saying that the Thunder plan to match all offers to Kanter.
They are facing Kevin Durant’s unrestricted free-agency less than a year from now. They’ve tried hard to avoid to the luxury tax in years past, notoriously trading James Harden in large part to avoid it.
The Thunder can move salary elsewhere, but Portland is forcing their hand.
Olshey expressed his personal pain from firing of his friend and assistant coach Kim Hughes, while not going any further on “personnel matters.” Hughes was fired after saying in an television interview that the Blazers had “lost Aldridge” three days before the four-time all-star announced his decision.
