By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Free-agent center Jusuf Nurkic has agreed to a four-year, $70 million deal to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers, Klutch Sports and the player himself announced
Nurkic played 56 games last season for Portland, averaging 15.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, after ankle and wrist injuries limited him to a combined 45 games over the prior two seasons.
The 27-year-old Bosnian big man has been an integral part of the Trail Blazers‘ repeated trips to the NBA playoffs since being traded to Portland by the Denver Nuggets in 2017.
Now, Portland will be counting on him to continue in that role as the team begins to transition into a new era thanks to the emergence of promising young guard Anfernee Simons, who has supplanted CJ McCollum as franchise icon Damian Lillard’s backcourt mate with the Trail Blazers.
Nurkic has struggled to stay on the court in recent seasons but, when healthy, has been an extremely productive player. He has averaged 14.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1 steal and 1.3 in 27.1 minutes per game since joining the Trail Blazers.