PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to a contract with free agent small forward Dorell Wright, who played last season with the Philadelphia 76ers, a person close to the negotiations said Saturday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be formalized until Wednesday.
Wright, a nine-year NBA veteran, averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists off the bench for the Sixers last season. He was traded to Philadelphia from Golden State last July.
Wright, a 6-foot-9 wing, confirmed the deal on Twitter, simply proclaiming “#ripcity.” Then he thanked the 76ers, their fans and his teammates.
The deal with Wright is the third notable move the Blazers have made since the NBA draft. Last Sunday, Portland added frontcourt depth by acquiring 6-10 forward Thomas Robinson from the Houston Rockets in exchange for a pair of future draft picks, and the draft rights to Kostas Papanikolau and Marko Todorovic.
Robinson was the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft by the Sacramento Kings, but was dealt to the Rockets in a three-team trade in February. He played in 70 total games last season, averaging 4.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 15.1 minutes.
Also, Portland, New Orleans, and Sacramento agreed to a three-team trade sending guard Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans, center Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers and guard Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, people familiar with the deal told The AP.
Portland also sent second-round draft pick Jeff Withey to New Orleans and a future draft pick to Sacramento as part of the deal, which was first reported by ESPN.
The 7-foot Lopez, who was New Orleans’ starting center after arriving in a trade with Phoenix, averaged 11.3 points to go with 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks last season, all career highs in what was his fifth NBA season.
Last season, Portland played J.J. Hickson, a true power forward, at center alongside two-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum. Hickson, who averaged a double-double last season, is a free agent.
The addition of Lopez will give the Blazers help at the position while developing 7-1 Meyers Leonard, the 11th overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Illinois.
Also on Saturday, the Blazers announced they had waived guard-forward Sasha Pavlovic, who averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 39 appearances last season. While he had two years left on his contract with Portland, his salary was not guaranteed.
The Blazers lost their last 13 games to finish 33-49 last season and out of the playoffs for the second straight season.
