Evan Turner’s last free agent deal netted him a little over $6 million for two years of work. Two solid seasons with the Boston Celtics under Brad Stevens have completely restored his stock. Turner has now agreed to a four-year, $70 million contact with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to multiple reports.
Trail Blazers, Evan Turner agree to 4-year, $70 million contract, per report
Evan Turner restored his career playing point forward with the Celtics. Now he’s moving on to Portland.
The sixth-year swingman has never lived up to the hype of his lofty draft status after being selected second overall by Philadelphia in 2010. He struggled to stand out on some bad 76ers teams, only once posting a positive value over replacement player (VORP) before landing in Boston in 2014. Though he averaged 17.9 points per game in his fourth season with Philly, he was shipped to Indiana for an ineffective Danny Granger and a second-round draft pick at the trade deadline that same year. Even then, he wasn’t deemed valuable enough for the Pacers to extend him a qualifying offer for 2014-15,
That crooked path led him to the Celtics, where he took on a hybrid role facilitating an offense that lacked a true pass-first point guard. While his shooting prevented him from being an efficient offensive weapon, he boosted his assists to a personal best 5.5 per game in 2014-15 and then set career highs in PER (13.6), true shooting percentage (.513), win shares (4.0) and VORP (0.8) last winter.
With long arms, solid lateral movement and a 6’7 frame in the backcourt, Turner’s defensive game remains more of an asset than his offense, although it’s certainly not bulletproof.
The Blazers are betting Turner’s maturation will continue away from the staid leadership of Stevens. Boston bought low on the guard/forward in 2014 and developed him into a dynamic weapon who was a key bench contributor for a 48-win team. His ability to create his own shot helped power a Celtics offense that lacked singular playmakers aside from All-Star Isaiah Thomas.
Turner proved he can be a valuable asset when employed properly. The question now is whether the Blazers can keep him trending upward after a rough start to his NBA career.
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