Blazers GM on upcoming free agent Jusuf Nurkic: We're big fans

Jay Allen: Cronin: “We’re big fans of Jusuf Nurkic. He had a career year, and we’ve seen growth from him each year. He’s just scratching the surface.” #RipCity
Source: Twitter @PDXjay

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Jay Allen @PDXjay
Cronin: “We’re big fans of Jusuf Nurkic. He had a career year, and we’ve seen growth from him each year. He’s just scratching the surface.” #RipCity – 1:14 PM Sean Highkin @highkin
Joe Cronin on Jusuf Nurkic’s upcoming free agency: “We’re big fans of Jusuf Nurkic. I think he had a career year this year and we expect that to continue. He’s just scratching the surface. He’s the kind of player we want to continue to build around.” – 1:14 PM Sean Highkin @highkin
Names Joe Cronin specifically calls out as part of the “core”: Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Justise Winslow. Notable since Nurkic is an unrestricted free agent coming up. – 1:08 PM John Schuhmann @johnschuhmann
Final on-off leaders for 2021-22.
With how turrible the Blazers were after the All-Star break, Nurkic’s off-court mark went from -8.0 at the break (he was 36th in on-off differential) to -14.2 at the end of the season.
The on-off leader in OffRtg was Mikal Bridges (13.0). pic.twitter.com/SO1jDj3JUx – 11:12 AM Jusuf Nurkic @bosnianbeast27
There’s nobody else like The Schonz
@Portland Trail Blazers
RIP CITY, BABY!
#BillSchonley pic.twitter.com/8t1OQWkJqZ – 2:40 AM Sean Highkin @highkin
Jusuf Nurkic with flowers for Bill Schonley’s wife, Dottie pic.twitter.com/e3jPKUKLWP – 10:52 PM Jusuf Nurkic @bosnianbeast27
📍Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 pic.twitter.com/ba9U0qRUl5 – 2:43 PM

More on this storyline

Michael Scotto: A lot of times when a trade is going down in the NBA, it comes down to need and whether there’s a little bit of desperation there. When I look at Portland’s situation, they got Josh Hart. Jusuf Nurkic is going to be a free agent, but there are enough people around the league that believe Nurkic and the Blazers will work out a deal, and he’ll stay there looking ahead towards next season and beyond. If you’re going along with that line of thinking, you’ve got Hart, Nurkic, Lillard. A lot of people around the league also believe Anfernee Simons will remain with the Blazers, and that’s why they made a lot of salary cap-saving moves to ultimately have more room to re-sign him and make another move going forward. Jerami Grant would plug a hole there at the four for them. Given where they’re at trying to compete with Lillard and his timeline, Grant is in the prime of his career at 28. -via HoopsHype / March 24, 2022 Elsewhere in Portland, after initial trade conversations, Jusuf Nurkic appears unlikely to be moved, as the veteran center and Trail Blazers brass have mutual interest in agreeing to a new contract this offseason, sources said. -via Bleacher Report / February 8, 2022