Amnesty Clause Grace Period Could Keep Brandon Roy With Blazers

An amnesty clause approved as a part of an NBA lockout deal would not only wipe out players from the salary cap books, but it could be saved for two years, Marc Stein reported Friday. That has major ramificiations on how the amnesty clause will be used, and should lubricate the trade market heavily. Ben Golliber of Blazer's Edge notes that it may ensure that Brandon Roy remains with the Portland Trail Blazers next season.

Essentially, it would allow the Blazers to have another test-run year to see whether he can be a productive contributor over the course of a season and whether he can continue to turn games in the postseason. While Roy's 2011-2012 salary is set to be $15 million, far more than he would currently bear on the open market, the financial damage in overpaying for one season is far less than the risk associated with not amnesty'ing him under the old system and being forced to keep him through 2014-2015.