The Portland Trail Blazers waived center Festus Ezeli on Friday, officially ending his Blazers career by declining to pick up the one-year option in his contract for the 2017-18 season.
Ezeli, who signed a 2-year, $15.6 million deal with the Blazers last July, never played a game for Portland. The Blazers had to waive Ezeli prior to 2 p.m. on Friday or his $7.73 million salary for next season would become fully guaranteed. He will be paid $1 million next season and that money will count as part of the Blazers' salary total for next season.
"We can't have that kind of a risk again to have a roster spot at a critical position for someone that ... we don't have a body of work with him," Blazers' President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey said in April, indicating Ezeli's Portland career was already over.
Prior to training camp, Ezeli received injections of a bone marrow aspirate concentrate and Orthovisc in his left knee to ease pain and improve mobility. But he never got on the court outside of one practice in October.
He elected to have season-ending knee surgery in March and was not with the team for the final month of the season or the playoffs.
Ezeli will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on July 1.
The Blazers now have 14 players with guaranteed contracts on the books for next season and Pat Connaughton, whose contract becomes full guaranteed for the 2017-18 season on July 25.
-- Mike Richman
mrichman@oregonian.com
@mikegrich