Festus Ezeli: Will be let go by Trail Blazers

Trail Blazers' GM Neil Olshey said Ezeli's contract for the 2017-18 season won't be guaranteed, making him an unrestricted free agent, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports.

Ezeli was expected to bring the Trail Blazers a much-needed defensive presence in the frontcourt this past season, but a previous left knee injury continued to hamper his availability to take the court. Despite originally expecting to miss just six weeks after receiving a pain injection early in year, Ezeli eventually suffered a setback in his rehab and would go on to miss the entire 2016-17 campaign, finishing with yet another season-ending surgery in March. With a non-guaranteed $7.73 million contract for next season on tap, GM Neil Olshey wasted no time making the decision to drop him, as just a day after the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Warriors, he announced the team wouldn't keep Ezeli around. Ezeli will be an unrestricted free agent and can sign with anyone, although his most recent knee surgery could hold him out for a good chunk of the 2017-18 season as well, which will likely keep most teams away for the time being.