Portland Extended $8.8 Million Qualifying Offer to Greg Oden

Despite all of the uncertainty caused by the injuries, the Blazers seem to be willing to keep rolling the dice on Greg Oden. The Columbian reports: “The offer makes the 23-year-old a restricted free agent, which allows the Blazers to match offers from other teams. Portland had until 9 p.m. Thursday to extend the qualifying offer. ‘We’ve stood behind Greg Oden every day since he became a Trail Blazer and that continues with [Wednesday’s] announcement,’ said Trail Blazers president Larry Miller. ‘Despite the setbacks he’s experienced, he continues to be resilient in working tirelessly on his rehabilitation. We’re all very encouraged with not only his progress, but with his commitment and determination to return to the basketball court.’ Oden has earned $19 million in salary from the Blazers over the past four years despite playing just 82 games — the equivalent of one regular season.”