However, they had to do something. For now, they’ll try Melo, but his non-guaranteed contract gives Portland the flexibility to try something else at the snap of a finger. If he doesn’t work they’ll try calling somebody up from the G League (some plausible names: Jarrod Uthoff, Marcus Derrickson, and Dedric Lawson), or turn to another veteran chilling on his couch (Dante Cunningham and Lance Thomas are waiting by their phones, among others), or work the angles for a low-stakes trade.
