PORTLAND, OR - OCTOBER 3: Festus Ezeli #31 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on before a preseason NBA game against the Utah Jazz on October 3, 2016 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)Sam Forencich/Getty Images

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

Alec NathanApr 25, 2017

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.

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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.

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