FanShot

Stein: Blazers' Adjusted Offer To Greg Oden Worth $1.5 Million?

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Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden may have accepted a 1-year offer worth $1.5 million after the team announced he suffered a "setback" in his most recent medical examinations. ------------------------- Sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.com this week that the 23-year-old agreed to take his salary down all the way to $1.5 million when the parties mutually agreed to negotiate a new deal earlier this month independent of Portland's original qualifying offer. Translation? If $1.5 million is a figure Oden was willing to consent to, down from the $8.9 million qualifying offer Portland extended to him before the lockout to prevent Oden from becoming an unrestricted free agent, this is sadly shaping up to be another lost season for the injury-tortured big man picked ahead of Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft. ------------------------- Prior to the setback and renegotiation, Oden was expected to sign a $8.8 million qualifying offer tendered to him by the Blazers in June. Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan has refused to comment multiple times on the structure and size of Oden's renegotiated deal. Team president Larry Miller announced the following on December 9. ---------------------- The contract agreed upon today comes after both sides mutually agreed to negotiate a new deal that is independent of the qualifying offer. "Following Greg's most recent physical examination and evaluation, we've determined that he has suffered a setback," said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. "We're hopeful, but less confident that he will return to the court this season. We've stood by Greg from the day he was drafted and we continue to do so now with this agreement." ---------------------- Buchanan singled out Oden's representatives for praise in handling the new deal, which was completed on the first day of the free agency period. ---------------------- "After getting the results of the MRI last night, we had extensive talks with the doctor in Vail, our team doctor evaluated the MRI, we spoke with Greg's representatives. I think they were very, very classy about the situation. They understood our concerns. We were able to work together on an agreement we felt was fair on both sides. I'd like to give a lot of credit out to Greg's representatives for going the direction they did. I think we came to a conclusion that's fair to both sides." ---------------------- Hat tip to tipster Jakob, and kennetha and merseykersey who got there first in the FanShots. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter