The Portland Trail Blazers have made headlines on a daily basis this summer with all the talk surrounding superstar guard Damian Lillard and what his future holds with the team or elsewhere.
After the Blazers drafted guard Scoot Henderson at No. 3 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, the team basically signaled that the rookie is the future face of the franchise and plans to build around him moving forward.
That likely didn’t sit well with Lillard, who wanted the team to trade the pick to bring in proven veterans, but he has yet to ask to be traded.
Now the team is preparing for the start of NBA free agency, with Cam Reddish looking like he’s set to become a free agent with the team planning not to extend him a qualifying offer, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.
The Portland Trail Blazers are not expected to extend Cam Reddish a qualifying offer, sources told @hoopshype. Portland is up against a looming luxury tax crunch. Reddish, who several executives believe has untapped potential, would enter the market as an unrestricted free agent.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 28, 2023
If Reddish had been given a qualifying offer from the Blazers, he would’ve been made a restricted free agent, which means Portland could match any offer sent his way.
With this move, the team is basically saying they won’t be making much of an effort to re-sign him this summer, meaning he’ll likely end up elsewhere in the league next season.
Although Reddish was a hot prospect coming out of Duke a few years ago, he hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far in his NBA career playing for three teams, including the Blazers, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks.
Last season, Reddish averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, shooting 44.6% from the floor and 31.3% from beyond the arc.
NEXT: Scoot Henderson Comments On His Personal Motto
