Originally posted by Jazz
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Portland would be a great move for both him and New York if there's no buyout. Literally any player on the Blazers would be an upgrade over what the Knicks have at most positions. Ed Davis is going to be a free agent after this year, Vonleh is a '14 draft pick so he'll be a RFA because he won't be extended, Aminu is a highly underrated player and solid defender, plus they have young guys like Connaughton, among others. New York would probably get a much better deal from Portland than Houston because Portland just drafted replacements for Ed Davis, etc and have multiple athletic forwards with upside whereas Houston traded away most of their young bench talent.
As for Portland, it could work out very well. Their one Achilles heel has been a lack of a consistent scorer at either forward position. If you noticed last year, they didn't get going as a team until Evan Turner started giving them consistent offense and strong overall play as an X-Factor at that three spot. When he went down, it really hurt the team. His play is what made Crabbe so expendable after they matched that huge offer sheet just a year prior. Nurkic could be that third star or third scorer after Dame and CJ but Melo already is a proven superstar who when forced to play a supporting role is money. He would take a ton of pressure off of the young, still semi-raw forwards and Swannegan/Collins offensively, and Portland has plenty of defense at the forward positions and down low so he could play next to a defensive presence at either one. I wouldn't say he would make them a contender but I could see Portland becoming a top five seed in the West potentially if they don't trade away the wrong players for him.
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