Free agent forward Ed Davis has agreed to a three-year, $20 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. Davis cashed in after spending a year at the minimum salary with the Lakers.
Ed Davis agrees to 3-year, $20 million deal with Blazers
Davis could play alongside LaMarcus Aldridge, but he is also insurance in case Aldridge leaves as expected.
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The signing of Davis is another sign that the Blazers are at least preparing for a reality without LaMarcus Aldridge. Portland still is maintaining hope that Aldridge will re-sign, but if he leaves as expected, they will still have an intriguing young frontcourt of Davis, Mason Plumlee, Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh.
After the best season of his career in Los Angeles, Davis opted out of a player option worth a little more than $1 million to test free agency. Davis averaged eight points and eight rebounds on 60 percent shooting for the Lakers, but with Julius Randle returning and the Los Angeles in play to sign a star big man in free agency, Davis' best option this summer was to explore what else was out there.
A late lottery pick by Toronto in 2010, Davis had a decent rookie season but took a step back as a sophomore. After a third season in which he only played 45 games, Davis moved on to Memphis, where he had two unremarkable seasons as a backup.
Davis finally developed consistency in L.A., and his offensive rebound percentage was eighth-best in the entire NBA. His rebounding is his best skill, but he’s a solid finisher around the basket and had perhaps his best defensive season despite the Lakers’ defense as a whole being terrible.
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