Raymond Felton planning a long stay at the Portland Trail Blazers – NBA Update
After changing 3 teams in a little more than a year, veteran guard Raymond Felton was acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade on Draft night. The player has been labelled a journeyman by some, but in a recent interview
Felton insisted he was in it for the long haul at Portland.
Raymond Felton signed for the New York Knicks as a free agent in the summer of 2010 after five years of service at the Charlotte Bobcats. The player however didn’t get much time to acclimatize to his new surroundings as he was
traded in the midseason by the Knicks in order to get their hands on all star Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony.
Despite that, Felton had his best season in the NBA during the last year. The player put up career high averages in points and assists at 15.5 and 8.3 respectively over the course of the season. He was also deadly from beyond the
arc, especially for the Denver Nuggets.
Still he finds himself traded once again, this time to the Portland Trail Blazers and Felton said he would be looking to stay here for a long time,
“Man I’m definitely tired but I think I found my home though” said Felton.
Felton went on to comment that he liked what he saw of the Portland Trail Blazers and he was happy to end up here. He also praised the coach and the fans of the franchise,
“I like the situation and I like the organization thus far from what I know. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the organization, I love Coach McMillan and the city of Portland has always been good. Just coming here they’ve
got some of the best fans in the league, if not the best.”
Still Felton has just one year left on his 2 years $15.8 million contract and coming off such a strong season the player could be tempted to hit the free agency and see what other teams have to offer him. However, Felton himself
said he was tired of all the moving and if given the opportunity be the team management he would certainly consider signing a new contract with the Portland Trail Blazers that can tie him down to the team for the next few years,
“No, I think I’m definitely willing to sign a long-term deal here so we’ll see what happens.”
Felton’s arrival will certainly give the fans of the team great confidence in their team’s ability after star guard Brandon Roy finally appeared to be shaking off the effects of his injuries in the playoffs and talented youngster
Greg Oden also pencilled to return next season.
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