Blazers in trade Pacers: Bayless, Diogu to Portland
The Trail Blazers formally announced a deal that brings Jerryd Bayless and forward Ike Diogu to Portland and sends Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and cash to the Indiana Pacers.
The Blazers acquire the draft rights to Bayless, the 11th overall draft pick, while Indiana acquires the rights to Rush, the 13th overall draft pick. The deal was struck on draft night, but could not be formally announced until it was finalized.
Bayless, a 6-foot-3 guard, played one season at Arizona, averaging 19.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and four assists. Diogu, a 6-foot-9 forward who has been in the NBA three seasons, averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 30 games.
"Bayless will make our backcourt more athletic. He's a proven scorer and a tenacious competitor,"
general manager Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. "In Diogu we have a young NBA player with a whole lot of potential that really helps fill a positional need for us."
Jack, played his first three NBA seasons in Portland, averaging 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and four assists. McRoberts averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in eight games his rookie season. He was the 37th overall pick in 2007 draft out of Duke.
