NBA team, Portland, filled its void at small forward in the first minutes of free agency on Tuesday night, with a different sort of player than the departed Nic Batum.

The team’s General Manager, Neil Olshey, relied on a long-standing relationship with a player he once drafted for the Los Angeles Clippers to make the deal.

Al-Farouq Aminu became the first major free agent in the league to come to terms when he agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with Portland in the first few minutes after free-agency discussions began.

Aminu is an interesting player, in that it’s possible he’s just coming into his own as an NBA player and the Trail Blazers may be getting him just when his career arc is approaching its highest point. Long considered a high-energy defender, Aminu, 24, has shown signs of development as an offensive player — something that hasn’t been a part of his game during his early time in the league.

In the playoffs versus Houston last season, Aminu averaged 11.2 points per game and made seven of his 11 three-point shots. He will get plenty of three-point attempts in Portland and a lot of opportunity to improve that skill. Even if he doesn’t rapidly improve as a shooter, Aminu will bring defensive energy and consistent rebounding — something Batum never consistently accomplished at that position for Portland.

It was a no-brainer signing for the Trail Blazers, a chance to get a young player with more improvement on the horizon, at a price that initially might seem high but is not, given the expected salary-cap expansion in the next couple of seasons.

Yes, Aminu is still a work in progress at the offensive end of the floor, but he brings an athleticism and energy the Trail Blazers can use. It was a statement move — a show of aggression and confidence — by Olshey in Portland’s biggest-ever free-agent summer. • Culled from www.csnnw.com