What The Chris Kaman Signing Means For The Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers recently signed center Chris Kaman to a 2 year contract. Kaman played for the Lakers last season, in what he calls his hardest season ever. Chris Kaman stated that he came to Portland because it "seemed to fit". He is now the Blazers 4th center, the other three being: Robin Lopez, Joel Freeland, and Meyers Leonard.

For much of last season, the Blazers relied on 6'10'' center Joel Freeland. Freeland did an outstanding job, taking on all of the so-called "dirty-work". Freeland, however, was unable to stop larger centers in the paint because of his lack of size. Freeland is not a scoring player by any means, which was the Blazers biggest issue with his play. The Blazers' starters play exceptionally well on the offensive end, however bench scoring was provided almost entirely from backup point guard Mo Williams (who opted out of his contract with the team).

Kaman will provide a much-needed defensive anchor off of the bench for the Blazers. He will also provide scoring in the paint.

Kaman also poses an interesing dilemma for the Blazers. With his signing, the Blazers are four-deep in the center position (as listed above). The Blazers will likely keep Joel Freeland as a third-string center off of the bench, but Meyers Leonard will have no place in the rotation. Leonard was dropped from the rotation in favor of Joel Freeland last season, falling to third-string, a place that Freeland will now occupy.

The most likely possibility is for the Blazers to trade the former lottery pick. Teams will be eager to pick up the center for his (arguably) immense potential. The Blazers could trade him for a backup guard in place of Mo Williams. The Blazers have developing pieces in Will Barton, CJ McCollum, and Thomas Robinson, which means that the only spot left to fill is a guard position to accompany combo guard CJ McCollum. Though the Blazers could potentially re-sign Williams, they may be able to acquire a better, younger point guard via trade. This would also save the Blazers a significant amount of cap space.