Lawal drops out, Hedo opts out
Two Blazers relevant nuggets of news this afternoon following the crowning of the Lakers as NBA Champions:
-Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal, a popular pick in many mock drafts for Portland (but not here), has withdrawn from the draft to play his junior season at the collegiate level. I know this disappoints many of you, but there are still plenty of options in the late first-round if the Blazers want to take a backup power forward.
-Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu will surprise nobody in opting out of his ridiculously cheap (in hindsight) $36 million, six-year contract. It’s good news not only for the folks that want to get Hedo in Portland, but for everyone because it increases the supply of small forwards in the free-agent market. Of course, trying to predict that market is like trying to nail down the release date of Detox, but if the economy affects it as many have guessed, I’m all for signing the 30-year old Tukoglu to a reasonable, four-year guaranteed deal with options on a fifth (pending other trades to loosen up our swingman logjam).
