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Turkoglu, Portland negotiations fall apart
By David Aldridge, TNT Analyst
Posted Jul 3 2009 9:40PM
An already crazy free agent period in the NBA got downright bizarre on Friday, with the supposed sure deal between free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu and the Portland Trail Blazers falling apart late in the afternoon, with the veteran seriously contemplating taking an offer from the Toronto Raptors that may be in excess of the five-year, $50 million proposal the Blazers have had on the table since the start of the negotiating period on Wednesday.
"He won't be coming" to Portland, a league source said late Friday.
In the end, Turkoglu, who spent the last two days in Portland with every intention of agreeing to terms on a deal (he wouldn't be able to sign a contract until July 8, when the league officially sets its 2009-10 salary cap number), simply changed his mind, deciding that he and his family would be more comfortable in Toronto, with its international makeup and large Turkish population. The deal with the Raptors is not done yet because in order to clear enough cap room to sign Turkoglu, the Raptors will have to renounce their rights to several of their own free agents, or do sign-and-trade deals with those free agents to other teams, taking no salary back in return.
Among the potential renounced players would be forward Shawn Marion and guards Anthony Parker, Carlos Delfino and Quincy Douby. However, it's believed that the Raptors are trying to keep at least Delfino, who played last season in Russia, but with whom Toronto has been trying to work out a new deal to return to the NBA.
