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Summary
I was surprised when the Kings declined the fourth year option on Giles's rookie contract, and was surprised again when he only signed for the minimum with Portland. I thought a rebuilding team with cap space would be willing to offer a little more than the minimum in order to take a flyer on Giles, but it seemed like the league just wasn't interested. Giles's injury history is certainly a concern, as he has really struggled to stay on the court ever since his high school days.

When he has played, Giles has not been all that productive. Despite showing some signs early in the season with Portland, he hasn't been able to consistently make an impact, even when Jusuf Nurkic was injured. Although showing flashes of passing ability from the high post and touch from the midrange, Giles is not someone defenses fear with the ball in his hands. He's not a strong presence inside on either end of the floor, making it hard to make an impact as a big.

There's plenty of room in today's NBA for finesse, skilled bigs, but Giles would likely need to improve his range on offense or his rim protection on defense to really make an impact. Giles is still only 23 years old, so there's certainly room for optimism.
 
Cap Considerations
Giles will be an unrestricted free agent with a $1.6 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. This means that the highest starting salary the Blazers could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is $2.1 million. This could be enough to retain Giles, since he settled for the minimum to come to Portland. Alternatively, the Blazers could use their Mid-Level Exception or Bi-Annual Exception (or cap space, if they operate under the cap) to re-sign Giles if he demands more than $2.1 million.
 
Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Giles as even teams without cap space could possibly use any of the Non-Taxpayer, Taxpayer, or Room Mid-Level Exceptions to sign him. There's also a chance that Giles only gets minimum offers again.

Potential Teams: Trailblazers, Pistons, Hornets, Wizards, Cavaliers

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million ($1.7 million cap hit) with the Trailblazers 

Actual Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million (non-guaranteed) with the Clippers

Giles only got a non-guaranteed minimum contract with the Clippers, but has a chance to make the 15th roster spot.

Last updated: 9/11/2021

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