Despite a late offer from the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazer Joel Freeland recently decided to leave the NBA completely and accept a contract from CSKA Moscow. While not entirely new news, yesterday he expressed his gratitude to the organization for his three years in Portland via email.
Freeland not being in Portland next year comes as no major surprise, as the team likely felt his $3.8 million qualifying offer was too much. Additionally, the team has acquired a multitude of new, young bigs this offseason, including Ed Davis, Noah Vonleh, and Mason Plumlee.