Grading the Portland Trail Blazers' off-season additions

The Portland Trail Blazers now have a full 15 guaranteed contracts under their belt for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. All through last season, the bench was highly criticized for lacking any sort of fire power offensively, and the frontcourt depth was severely lacking, particularly at center. There was little doubt that general manager Neil Olshey's biggest priority this summer was to improve the level of talent throughout the roster, and with around $10 million in cap space, here is what Portland added to the mix this off-season:

Additions
Allen Crabbe (draft) - A second-round selection out of California, Crabbe has a long ways to go to crack the playing rotation, but was a very good shooter in college and will add depth to the back end of the bench. With the added depth in the back-court, Crabbe will likely be spending some time with the Idaho Stampede (Portland's D-League affiliate), or could be a throw-in as part of a trade should the team have an opportunity to improve their roster.

Terrel Harris (trade with New Orleans) - Possessing the only non-guaranteed contract of the 16 players on the current roster, the odds of Harris making the roster without the team either cutting another player currently under contract (not likely) or making a trade, are slim. Add in his upcoming five-game suspension, and Harris' time in Portland appears to be done.
Robin Lopez (trade with New Orleans) - The team was able to acquire Lopez from the now-Pelicans for the draft rights to second-round center Jeff Withey and cash considerations. While Lopez won't be mistaken for Dwight Howard, he is a solid interior defender who took a step forward on offense last season. With two years and just under $10.5 million left on his contract, the 25 year-old provides the team with a cost-effective starter entering his prime while second-year big man Meyers Leonard continues to develop.
C.J. McCollum (draft) - McCollum was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft by Portland, and is expected to be a contributor off the bench this season. McCollum struggled with his shooting some in the Las Vegas Summer League, and at this point in his young career is almost purely a shooting guard due to his lack of experience running an offense. Even still, he has a solid understanding of how to create space for shots, and will be much better in a complimentary scoring role this season than he was as the primary for Portland's summer league team.
Thomas Robinson (trade with Houston) - As with Lopez earlier, Neil Olshey was able to acquire a solid depth asset for unproven players. The team did give up the draft rights to two second-round picks (Kostas Papanikolaou and Marco Todorovic), as well as two future second-round picks, but the addition of Robinson (5th overall in 2012) should help fill a void behind franchise power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Robinson still needs a lot of work on offense, but has great athleticism for a power forward, as well as a nose for the basketball when attacking the glass.
Earl Watson (free agency) - Initially added by the team to back up Damian Lillard, Watson is now likely relegated to "mentor" status for the team's rising young point guard. A veteran's minimum deal to add an insurance policy, as the team was terrible with their backups most of last season (outside of Eric Maynor's two month trial run.
Mo Williams (free agency) - The team's most recent signing, Williams agreed to a team-friendly two year deal, and should be Portland's primary guard off the bench. The addition of Williams should lessen the workload on emerging sophomore point guard (and reigning Rookie of the Year) Damian Lillard, who averaged 38.6 minutes per game last year. Williams is a solid shooter, and will also provide the team a solid short-term insurance policy in case C.J. McCollum goes through growing pains this season.
Dorell Wright (free agency) - Wright has a solid shooting stroke from the arc (37.6% career), and will provide the team with added depth on the wing, allowing starter Nicolas Batum's minutes to be more closely monitored as well.

Final Thoughts
Neil Olshey appears to have done a great job in filling out the roster, as the team's second unit now has scoring punch and more front-court depth. Olshey's ability to capitalize on other team's desires to clear cap space got the team some valuable assets, specifically solidifying the front-court with Lopez and Robinson. The signings of Williams and Wright add more shooters to the mix, and will also allow players like Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum to receive more rest.
With a revamped second unit, Portland appears primed to end a two-year postseason drought in the 2013-2014 season.

Grade: A