Blazers Make Signings, Trades Official As Free Agency Moratorium Lifted

The Portland Trail Blazers began announcing a series of roster moves on Wednesday after the NBA's free agency moratorium was lifted.

During the moratorium, which began on July 1 and ended at 12:01 a.m. ET this morning, the Blazers agreed to trade for Thomas Robinson, agreed to trade for Robin Lopez, agreed to sign Dorell Wright and agreed to sign Earl Watson. The Blazers also planned to sign 2013 second-round pick Allen Crabbe to a contract on Tuesday night.

Blazers owner Paul Allen wrote on Twitter...

We have signed D wright, Crabbe trade complete with T Robinson busy morning continues...

Here are the official press releases confirming the moves as they come out on Wednesday.

The Blazers will introduce their new signings at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Update (Thursday): CJ McCollum

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie guard CJ McCollum, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Portland selected McCollum, 21, with the 10th overall pick in last month's NBA Draft. The Canton, Ohio, native averaged 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.05 steals and 32.9 minutes in 111 games over four seasons at Lehigh.

A two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, McCollum is the all-time scoring leader in league history with 2,361 career points. McCollum (6-4, 200) is the first player from Lehigh ever selected in the NBA Draft.

He will wear No. 3 for the Trail Blazers.

Earl Watson

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed veteran free agent guard Earl Watson, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Watson, 34, owns career averages of 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.02 steals and 22.6 minutes in 12 NBA seasons with Seattle, Memphis, Denver, Oklahoma City, Indiana and Utah.

"Earl is a consummate professional and one of the most competitive players I have ever been around," said Olshey. "His leadership, command presence and ability to affect games with his defense are attributes we value highly, and specifically targeted in our search for players at his position."

Watson (6-1, 200) spent the past three seasons playing for Utah, where he averaged 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 17.3 minutes in 48 games last season.

UCLA's all-time leader in steals (235) and minutes played (4,371), Watson was selected by Seattle with the 40th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

He will wear No. 25 for the Trail Blazers.

Allen Crabbe

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie guard Allen Crabbe, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year, Crabbe, 21, begins his NBA career with the Trail Blazers after finishing his junior season at the University of California.

Portland acquired Crabbe, selected with the 31st overall pick, from Cleveland on draft day in exchange for two future second round picks.

Crabbe (6-6, 210) averaged 15.7 points (44.6% FG, 38.2% 3-PT, 81.9% FT), 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in three seasons at California. His 209 3-pointers rank third in school history.

He will wear No. 23 for the Trail Blazers.

Dorell Wright

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free agent forward Dorell Wright, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wright, 27, holds career NBA averages of 9.3 points (43.1% FG, 36.7% 3-PT, 81.1% FT), 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in nine seasons with Miami, Golden State and Philadelphia.

"Dorell brings a versatile skill set on both sides of the ball," said Olshey. "He gives us the ability to stretch defenses on the offensive end while guarding multiple positions defensively."

Wright's 434 3-pointers made over the past three seasons rank fourth in the NBA during that span. He led the league with 194 3-pointers in 2010-11.

Selected by Miami with the 19th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of South Kent Prep, Wright (6-9, 205) averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 79 games (eight starts) last season with Philadelphia.

Wright will wear No. 1 for the Trail Blazers.

Thomas Robinson

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired forward Thomas Robinson from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the NBA rights to Kostas Papanikolaou and Marko Todorovic along with two future second round picks, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey.

Robinson, 22, is entering his second NBA season after averaging 4.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 15.1 minutes in 70 games with Sacramento (51 games) and Houston (19 games) in 2012-13.

"Thomas is a dynamic young big man with tremendous upside," said Olshey. "He is an elite athlete and brings a unique set of physical tools to our roster. He has the potential to be one of the best young power forwards in the league and his development will be a priority for us."

Drafted by Sacramento with the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Robinson (6-10, 237) played three seasons at Kansas, where he averaged 17.1 points (50.5%), 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.08 steals and 31.8 minutes in 39 games his junior year. A consensus First Team All-American in 2011-12, he earned the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year Award as a junior.

Also, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports on Twitter...

The reps for Blazers Thomas Robinson tell CSNNW the forward will play Summer League.

Robin Lopez and Terrel Harris

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired center Robin Lopez and guard Terrel Harris from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the draft rights to Jeff Withey, future second round draft considerations and cash, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey.

Lopez, 25, averaged career-highs of 11.3 points (53.4 FG%), 5.6 rebounds, 1.56 blocked shots and 26.0 minutes in 82 starts last season with New Orleans.

"Robin is a starting-caliber center coming off the best year of his career," said Olshey. "He fills a void at a position we made a priority this offseason, and his size, ability to protect the rim and emerging offensive game are all key elements in achieving our goal of having more of a presence in the paint on both ends of the floor this season."

Lopez (7-0, 255) holds career averages of 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 17.4 minutes over five seasons with New Orleans and Phoenix. He spent his first four years with the Suns after being drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of Stanford.

He will wear No. 42 for the Trail Blazers.

Harris, 25, played 20 games for Miami and New Orleans last season, posting averages of 0.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 6.9 minutes. Owning career averages of 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in two NBA seasons, Harris (6-4, 195) appeared in four postseason games for Miami during the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Here are some comments from Lopez via Chris Haynes at CSNNW.com. Thanks to Roy Wonder in the FanShots.

"I'm excited to be in Portland. I'm going to miss the city of New Orleans, but this is a great opportunity for me to have an impact and play amongst some of the best fans in the NBA. I'll be closer to home, it's just a good situation."

...

"The defensive end is the part of my game that I take pride in," Lopez said. "I just try to be a defensive presence at all times. Blocking shots, altering shots, I feel like I'm more discipline than I was earlier in my career when I was fouling a lot and going for every pump-fake. I try not to foul as much and it has helped me out tremendously. I'm ready to get the job done."

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter