I totally disagree regarding Batum's contract. I think having him on the books for $12million could most definitely prevent the team from adding a stud player in the future. I don't think Paul Allen will pay the new higher luxury tax. Batum's value to the team would not be close to the cost of his contract on the salary cap and luxury tax. Batum would be similar to a players such as Joe Johnson or Hedo Turkoglu, he would have value on the basketball court and should be in a rotation, but that large of a contract would make him a negative asset to the roster.
The team should aim to sign players that become positive assets, where their worth exceeds the cost of their contracts. If you believe Batum will be an all-star then fine the Blazers should match. But I don't believe he will improve terribly much more from the player he is today, and that level of player on that large of a contract is a hinderance toward building a contender. This isn't the 1999 Blazers where we can aim to collect as much talent regardless of contracts. The new NBA is a moneyball league that will be driven by players outperforming their salary cost.