Eric Bledsoe's 13th NBA season will not be played with the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to The Athletic and ESPN, Bledsoe was informed he will be waived before his contract becomes guaranteed for the 2022-23 season, making the 32-year-old a free agent if he's not first claimed by another team.
Acquired by the Blazers from the Los Angeles Clippers in February, Bledsoe was owed $19.38 million for 2022-23 as part of the four-year, $70 million contract he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. He never played for the Blazers because of an Achilles injury.
Portland drafted another guard, Shaedon Sharpe, with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft.
The contract guarantee date for Bledsoe was moved back from June 30 to July 10, but barring a last-minute trade, Bledsoe will be placed on waivers before the $3.9 million payment is due.
Bledsoe's next team will be his fifth since November 2017 season as he jumped from the Bucks to New Orleans Pelicans and Clippers before his current stop in Portland.
He averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 54 games last season.
Bledsoe has played 756 career games, averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.
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