The Trailblazers have re-signed Travis Outlaw for the next three seasons.  Outlaw played in 67 games (1 start) last season and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.  Outlaw made 43.4% of his shots from the floor, 27% from three point range and 79% from the free throw line.

Outlaw has played in 203 games (14 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.2 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Outlaw made 45% of his shots from the floor, 28% from three point range and 73.4% from the free throw line.  It was a good move for the Blazers to bring back Outlaw as he keeps improving as a player each season.

The Trailblazers have officially acquired James Jones in the trade that also netted the Blazers Rudy Fernandez on draft day for a pile of cold, hard cash.  Jones is a versatile swingman who can handle shooting guard or small forward on the court.  He played in 76 games (7 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 18.1 minutes, 6.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  He only shot 36.8% from the floor, 37.8% from three point range and 87.7% from the free throw line.

Over his NBA career, Jones has played in 232 games (55 starts) and he has averaged 19.4 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has shot 39.5% from the floor, 38.5% from the three point line and 86.1% from the free throw line. 

Jones will give the Blazers a nice three point shooter off of their bench next season and he should be a key contributor.

Stevie Francis must feel like he has hit the lottery.  The Trailblazers will pay Francis $30 million of the $34 million owed to him to buy him out of his contract.  The great thing for Francis is that he will become a unrestricted free agent which means he will more than make up for the $4 million bucks he lost because of the buyout.

Steve Blake has signed a three-year contract with the Blazers.  He will compete with Jarrett Jack for the starting job at point guard.  He played in 82 games (42 starts) last season with the Nuggets & Bucks and he averaged 28.2 minutes, 6.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.  He didn’t shoot too well last season as he hit 41.1% from the floor, 32.2% from three point range and 67.2% from the free throw line.

Over his NBA career Blake has played in 269 games (114 starts) and he has averaged 22.5 minutes, 6.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  He has shot 40.3% from the floor, 37% from three point range and 77.2% from the free throw line. 

Signing Blake was a good move by the Trailblazers as he is unselfish with the basketball and he’s a good enough shooter to make teams pay if they pack the paint.