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Reports: Pacers To Retain RFA C Roy Hibber; Blazers To Move On

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Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports on Twitter that the Indiana Pacers will match the 4-year, $58 million offer sheet agreement to be extended by the Portland Trail Blazers for restricted free agent center Roy Hibbert. ---------------------------- The Pacers are matching Portland's 4-year, $58 million offer to Roy Hibbert, according to a source ---------------------------- David Aldridge of NBA.com reports on Twitter that the Pacers won't wait for Portland to extend the offer sheet and will instead give Hibbert the same contract. ---------------------------- Indy, per source, will give Hibbert the same terms that Portland was ready to give in offer sheet, & so won't technically "match" the sheet. ---------------------------- Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports on Twitter that the Blazers are ready to move on. ---------------------------- Blazers' free agent plan is Hibbert or nothing, GM Olshey says. Focus now turns to trades, where Blazers can make an uneven financial deal. The Blazers' philosophy at C just changed with reported Indiana match. Olshey says development of Meyers Leonard this season now "paramount." Blazers will still look for a starting center, but Olshey says he won't bring in a center who "retards" Leonard's development. ---------------------------- Pacers president Donnie Walsh said last week that retaining Hibbert was the team's "first priority." While Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before free agency opened that Hibbert "wasn't going anywhere" there were some who didn't view the Pacers matching as a slam dunk. It was reported last week that the Pacers would begin to investigate other potential options at center in case they didn't match on Hibbert and they met with New Orleans Hornets unrestricted free agent center Chris Kaman last week. Blazers GM Neil Olshey made Hibbert his first stop of the 2012 Free Agency period. Hibbert was reportedly "blown away" by Portland's approach. Hibbert, 25, just completed his fourth season with the Indiana Pacers, posting career-high averages of 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. He played in 65 of Indiana's 66 games last season. Hibbert, listed at 7-foot-2 and 278 pounds, is generally regarded as a top-5 free agent in this year's class and the best available center. ed: text edited, bumped to front page