Brandon Roy's top suitors are Bulls, Mavs, Pacers and T'wolves, sources say
NEW YORK – As ex-Portland Trail Blazer Brandon Roy plans his comeback to the NBA, the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves have emerged as serious suitors to sign the former All-Star guard, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Roy's recovery from chronic knee problems has been recently spurred by undergoing the platelet rich plasma therapy procedure that Lakers star Kobe Bryant popularized with NBA players, sources said. The blood spinning procedure gave profound relief to the knees of Bryant, Tracy McGrady and baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
The Golden State Warriors have also expressed strong interest with Roy. The Warriors' general manager, Bob Myers, was Roy's agent with the Wasserman Media Group.
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After Portland doctors pushed Roy to stop playing in 2011, the Blazers used the league's new amnesty provision to pay him the remaining $63 million on his contract and made Roy a free agent. He's been working out for several months and planning a return.
Pacers executive Kevin Pritchard made a draft day deal for Roy in 2006 as Blazers GM, and his relationship could play a pivotal part in Indiana's recruitment of Roy, sources said. Roy trusts Pritchard, and values the fact that he brought him to Portland. Nevertheless, Roy hasn't begun the process of narrowing his list of possibilities. After Thursday's draft, more teams could express interest in him.
Roy played five often fabulous seasons for the Blazers, where he became a two-time All-Star and one of the NBA's best and most popular young players. The chronic knee injuries started to take a toll in his final two seasons, and Roy struggled to play 47 games in the 2010-11 season before Portland used the amnesty clause after the lockout. In his five seasons, Roy averaged 19 points per game.
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Several teams could be willing to use their full-mid level exception for Roy, sources said. 1500-AM Radio in Minneapolis reported that the Wolves were prepared to make Roy a two-year contract offer.
Roy couldn't re-sign with Portland until the 2014-'15 season under the amnesty rules, but that relationship didn't sever without some acrimony and there would be significant mending that needed to happen between the organization and Roy.
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