It would have been understandable if the Portland Trail Blazers never recovered after being swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in last year's playoffs. It also would've been fair for this team to slip after Jusuf Nurkic's season-ending injury. But making it to the Western Conference finals is an accomplishment.
How does this franchise take the next step as it builds around Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Nurkic?
Now eliminated from the postseason, let's look ahead to the free agency, draft and trade decisions facing the Blazers this offseason -- including a potential supermax for Lillard.
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The supermax extension: Damian Lillard
Lillard will be an interesting test of the supermax. Since the designated player veteran extension (DPVE) was introduced in the 2017 collective bargaining agreement, there has been skepticism about the merits of the new rule.
The rule fairly rewards players who have outplayed their current contracts by allowing them to make 35 percent of the salary cap, but some teams are paying a premium for past success and not what the future holds. That could apply to the Washington Wizards with John Wall and even the Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook.
On his way to earning All-NBA for a second consecutive season, Lillard is eligible to sign a $191 million extension -- something the Trail Blazers will likely offer starting on July 1.
Here is the breakdown of the extension:
Lillard will also be eligible to sign a five-year, $247 million extension next offseason if he passes on a new contract in July. In that scenario, Lillard would earn $56.3 million in the last year of the contract at age 35.
There is no debating that what Lillard has accomplished in Portland shows he is deserving of a new, massive contract. He's 28 and one of the most consistently great players in the league. But here's the question: What would Portland's roster look like two years from now when Lillard is earning $42.6 million?
Fortunately, the Blazers will have time to map out the roster. With the contracts of Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless set to expire after the 2019-20 season, Portland will have the flexibility to make moves if they lock up their superstar long term.
The roster restrictions
The positive in Portland is that this successful team returns 10 players and adds a first-round pick. The negative is that Portland could lose two playoff starters (Al-Farouq Aminu and Enes Kanter) and two rotation players (Rodney Hood and Seth Curry) to free agency. There is also the uncertain health timeline of Nurkic.
Portland's front office once again will need to get creative. Here are the Blazers' options:
Seth Curry
Last summer, Curry signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract using part of the Blazers' $5.3 million tax midlevel exception. Now with non-Bird rights, Portland can sign him to a contract worth $3.35 million (a career high).
If Curry leaves: The Blazers drafted two wings last year -- Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. Both played sparingly this season (251 total minutes), but they'll be asked to help replace Curry's contributions.
Rodney Hood
Hood doesn't have Bird rights, restricting Portland to offer him a contract that cannot exceed $4.1 million. The Blazers do have the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception to offer, or they could shed salary and have the full $9.3 million midlevel exception.
If Hood leaves: Portland doesn't have many options outside of minimums and the midlevel. Internally, Portland would need to rely on Evan Turner.
Al-Farouq Aminu
The Blazers were ahead of the curve when they signed Aminu to a four-year, $30 million contract in 2015. After the salary cap spike the following summer, Aminu's contract quickly fell below the league average while he became a key starter.
Portland has full Bird rights and can exceed the cap to sign the 28-year-old. However, with the team pressed against the tax, signing Aminu to a salary in the $8-10 million range would cost Portland $16 million in luxury tax penalties.
If Aminu leaves: Can Zach Collins become the full-time power forward? Portland might also try Harkless in certain lineups.
Enes Kanter
Waived by New York at the deadline, Kanter signed a one-year, $654K contract with Portland to back up Nurkic. After Nurkic got hurt, Kanter emerged as a key reason for the Blazers' late-season success.
Like Curry and Hood, Kanter doesn't have Bird rights. The most that Portland could offer is $2.8 million (non-Bird exception) or $5.7 million (tax midlevel exception). Both salaries will fall short of what Kanter will command on the market.
If Kanter leaves: With Nurkic's uncertain timeline, Portland will have to rely on Collins and Leonard at the 5. The Trail Blazers also have former first-round pick Skal Labissiere as an option.
Summer cap breakdown
Barring a trade or using the stretch provision on a player such as Evan Turner or Meyers Leonard, the Blazers are heading to the luxury tax for a second consecutive season. The roster returns 10 players (plus a first-round pick) with a committed $129 million in salary -- $3 million below the tax line.
Resources available to build the roster
The draft
Cash: $5.2 million to buy into the second round
Own free agents
Cap exception: $5.7 million tax midlevel and minimum
Dates to watch
Expect Jake Layman to receive a $1.9 million one-year qualifying offer before the June 29 deadline.
Layman, who started 33 games during the regular season and averaged 18.7 MPG, will become a restricted free agent with Bird rights (giving Portland the ability to exceed the cap to sign him).
Extension candidates
CJ McCollum will not garner the same attention as his backcourt mate Damian Lillard come this offseason, but the shooting guard becomes eligible for an extension starting on July 27.
McCollum has two seasons remaining on his deal, and Portland can add three seasons with a 120 percent raise on his 2021-22 salary.
Here is what a McCollum extension would like:
The salary in the first year of the extension would be $1.3 million less than the max. Extending both Lillard and McCollum leaves Portland with $78 million in committed salary in 2021-22.
Besides Lillard and McCollum, Portland has four players -- Evan Turner, Skal Labissiere, Meyers Leonard and Mo Harkless -- eligible for contract extensions.
The draft assets
Here's how ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have Portland selecting in June:
No. 25 (own): Lugentz Dort | G | LSU
The Blazers own their own first-round pick in all future years.