As this year's training camp nears, the Portland Trail Blazers added another player who will compete for the final spot on the roster. The Vertical's Shams Charania reported through Twitter that the Blazers agreed to a one-year deal (non-guaranteed) with veteran shooter Anthony Morrow.
Free agent guard Anthony Morrow has agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with Portland, agent Wallace Prather tells The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2017
Morrow played for two teams in the 2016-17 NBA season. He started the year with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, in February, Oklahoma City traded him to the Chicago Bulls together with Joffrey Lauvergne and Cameron Payne. In exchange, the Thunder received Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, and a 2018 second-round pick. If the 31-year-old makes it to the Blazers' main lineup, he is going to suit up for his eighth team. Before his stops in Oklahoma City and Chicago, he had stints with the Golden State Warriors, the then-New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Stiff competition
Joining the Blazers' final lineup for the new season will be easier said than done for Morrow. If he wants that last roster spot, he must outperform Archie Goodwin and Isaiah Briscoe in training camp and the preseason.
These younger players received training camp contracts. Among the two, Goodwin might be the toughest competition for Morrow. The 23-year-old has NBA experience and showed potential during his time with the Phoenix Suns. Briscoe, on the other hand, is an undrafted rookie out of Kentucky.
Ed Davis hopes to re-sign with Blazers
In other Blazers news, forward Ed Davis is looking to stay in Portland for the long-term, the Portland Tribune reported. Davis inked a pact with the Blazers in July of 2015. The 2017-18 season will be the last year of his contract with the organization. He understands that in the Blazers' new campaign, he needs to step up and bounce back.
Davis suffered a left shoulder injury last season that limited him to 46 games (12 starts). In those appearances, the 28-year-old averaged 4.3 points with 5.3 rebounds per contest. The offensive output is the worst in his NBA career. Davis is expected to have the same role with the Blazers. In his first two seasons with them, he was a key player from the second unit. On the depth chart provided by ESPN, he is the second stringer at power forward. Al-Farouq Aminu is the projected starter. Caleb Swanigan, who was the 26th overall pick this year, and Noah Vonleh complete the group of players at the position.
