Notice Festus Ezeli Won't Be on Trail Blazers Next Season, According to Neil Olshey

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2705742.amp.html





Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey told reporters Tuesday that center Festus Ezeli will not return to the team next season, according to the Oregonian's Joe Freeman.

Ezeli did not appear in a single game for the Blazers during the 2016-17 season because of recurring knee issues.

The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $15.1 million deal with Portland last summer, but only a portion of the $7.7 million he's due for the 2017-18 campaign is guaranteed, according to Spotrac. Specifically, $1 million of Ezeli's 2017-18 salary will be guaranteed so long as he's waived before June 30.

Ezeli had a pair of knee procedures after he joined the Blazers, with the most recent coming in March

Those surgeries represented the continuation of an unfortunate trend for the big man, who has been hounded by knee issues since 2013.

After Ezeli appeared in 78 games as a rookie, he missed the entire 2013-14 season after he was forced to undergo surgery on a pair of ligaments in his right knee.

Since then, Ezeli has appeared in 92 of a possible 246 regular-season games.

Now an impending unrestricted free agent, Ezeli will likely have to sign a low-risk prove-it deal with a team in need of frontcourt reinforcements off the bench.

 

Nobody's shocked?

 

Not really news, since wasn't on the team this year either. Did anyone think we'd actually pick up that $7.7 million team option for next season when, even without it, we're $20 million over the luxury tax threshold?

The team has until 6/30 to decline his team option. I think they should at least wait until after the draft to officially decline his option. That non-guaranteed contract could still potentially have some value as part of a trade package. The chances are slim, but it might be an inducement to get some team to take one of our other bad contracts off our hands. Basically bundle Ezeli with someone like Crabbe or Turner and take back someone that makes about the same as Ezeli. The other team would need to be below the cap, but we'd end up dumping approximately $10 million a year in salary and they could decline Ezeli's contract, thus their net impact would only be about $11 million a year for Crabbe or Turner.

Either way, he wont be on the team next year.

BNM

 

Why not sign him for the minimum? Quarterman won't amount for anything. Ezeli wouldn't cost anything, and could potentially play 12-15 minutes a night as our backup C...

 

Ezeli's career is done.

 

He's getting tissue transplanted for his knee. Very unlikely he will ever play again.

 

Because he will take up a roster spot. We currently have three first round picks. First round picks automatically get guaranteed contracts. Unless we trade current picks for future picks, or do some 2 for 1 trades, we are going to need to free up some roster spots. Ezeli is dead weight.

BNM

 

Nah, but his Portland career is...

 

No.

 

I was shocked he wasn't already cut.

 

I doubt Ezeli will even attempt to be in the league next season, but I wouldn't be against a training camp invite the following season. No risk.

 

I went on Twitter this morning and left him some encouragement. I really feel bad for the guy. He can't even walk right now. If he was smart, he'd call it a career.

If by some miracle he's even on a basketball court by the time he's 29, I'll be impressed.

 

You really feel bad for the guy? In less than a calendar year, he'll have pocketed $8 million from the Trailblazers without so much as PRACTICING once. We should all be so fucking lucky.

 

So that's what he looks like.

 

I guess I feel badly for him in a general sort of way. I don't know the guy, but as somebody who's had 4 surgeries on my right knee I can sympathize -- it's no fucking picnic getting to a point where you are in a shit-load of pain doing even light jogging; I'm only 6' and 220 lbs. I can't even imagine what it must be like at 7' and closer to 300.

Fortunately, for me my livelihood doesn't depend on my knee, but I'd be pretty bummed out if I were in Ezeli's shoes knowing that I'm out millions of dollars because my body betrayed me.

 

It's not even that. Most basketball players admit that they would play the game for free; the money is just a bonus. My sympathy for him comes from the fact that he'll very likely have to retire from basketball; a sport that he genuinely loves to play.

Not being able to play the sport you love has got to be hard on any athlete. The money you get can only give you so much happiness.