Portland Trail Blazers have a new head coach, with Shams Charania reporting Tuesday that Minnesota assistant Micah Nori will move to Oregon and take over the sidelines for the team of Israeli guard Deni Avdija. The report comes after the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga ended with a trade to Miami, raising questions about Portland’s next direction.
Soon after that trade, ESPN’s Jake Fischer said live on air that Anthony Davis could end up in Portland, adding that the Blazers were “waiting with open arms” for the star. The suggestion sparked anger from Mike Richman, a journalist and Blazers fan who hosts the Locked On Blazers podcast.
“Are they really going after Davis?!” Richman asked, calling the idea “gross” and repeating, “gross, gross, and gross again.” He said Davis is clearly an excellent player and a likely Hall of Famer, but argued that the fit for Portland does not make sense.
Richman noted that Davis is reportedly seeking a maximum-salary extension and said, “That’s obviously what he wants.” He added that if the Wizards see a market for the player, they may be willing to move him. Davis is due to make about $58.5 million next season, at age 33, and has a $62.7 million player option the following year. Richman said Davis could decline that option and sign a max contract of up to four years, but warned that the Blazers should not do it, saying he fears the “new owner syndrome” and calling it a mistake.
