Blazers will meet with Turkoglu

Hedo Turkoglu

It didn’t take long for the free-agent frenzy to create discord in the Trail Blazer ranks. At least if you believe the national reports.

According to ESPN.com, Blazers coach Nate McMillan was flying to Orlando on Wednesday to meet with Hedo Turkoglu, and the free-agent forward will visit Portland today.

Teams could begin contacting free agents Tuesday night, and Portland reportedly was the first to contact Turkoglu.

That, according to ESPN’s Chris Sheridan, did not sit well with the Blazers’ Rudy Fernandez, who last year paid more than $500,000 to buy his way out of a European contract and play his rookie NBA season in Portland.

Fernandez played a key role for the Blazers, averaging 26 minutes and 10.2 points a game off the bench while setting an NBA record for 3-pointers by a rookie.

But that role could change with the addition of Turkoglu, a 6-foot-10 forward who is more adept than Fernandez at handling the ball and initiating the offense. If the Blazers do sign Turkoglu, Fernandez indicated that he would consider returning to Spain or perhaps playing in Greece or Russia.

To do so, Fernandez would have to be released from his NBA contract. He is entering the second year of his rookie contract, which calls for two years with a team option for the third and/or fourth season.

Turkoglu, 30, averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists last season while shooting 41 percent from the field. In the playoffs, he averaged 15.8 points and 4.8 assists in helping Orlando reach the NBA Finals.

Before the onset of the free-agency period, Turkoglu rejected a contract offer to return to the Magic, reportedly a four-year deal worth $36 million. Following that, Orlando traded for Vince Carter, drastically altering the team’s desire to re-sign Turkoglu.