By Dillon Sage
During the bubble, I played Daily Fantasy quite a bit. Power Forward on FanDuel was a wasteland. The popular roster construction for days that the Rockets on the slate was a high priced PF, and a decision I had to make was spending money on a mid-priced Robert Covington or going to a less popular and much cheaper Jeff Green. Since the Rockets seem to go with the hot hand approach for everyone not named Russell and James me taking a stand on not having Robert was a profitable one. Since Jeff and Robert are very similar players and the difference between them on a given day is just how their shots are falling, it was a stance that I was willing to take game in and out. To be profitable in DFS, taking stances like that is the most beneficial.
So let’s take that thought process in a different direction. A guy like Robert Covington would be a great fit for the Trail Blazers. Confident shooter, a good defender, and wing size. Unfortunately, he’s getting paid 12 million dollars per year, and the Trail Blazers couldn’t afford that. On the other hand, Jeff Green is older, shoots a better percentage on a smaller sample, is a good defender, and is an inch taller and is getting paid 2.4 million dollars much more affordable.
I think Robert Covington is a better player than Jeff Green, but a contract difference of 8 million dollars, I don’t think so. When you are a team like the Trail Blazers, you have to find those market inefficiencies. For what Jeff Green can provide right now is severely underpaid.
Jeff Green has been on a different team for the last five years. If the Blazers offer him the full BAE (3.6 Million) for two years, he has a place to call home and the ability to grow some roots in a city and be part of the team’s culture.
Cover photo via Bill Baptist/Getty Images
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