Brandon Roy To Announce Medical Retirement From Blazers, According To Report

Brandon Roy will announce his decision to seek a medical retirement from the Portland Trail Blazers, reports ESPN's Chris Broussard. Roy has had three knee surgeries in the past 18 months, but had one amazing performance for the Blazers in the NBA playoffs in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks.

A medical retirement will allow the Blazers to remove his contract from the books beginning next season, provided that Roy doesn't return to the court before then and a league-appointed doctor agrees that the All-Star guard is no longer able to play.

Roy is owed $64 million over the next four seasons. He signed a maximum-value contract three years into his NBA career, by which point he'd already won the Rookie of the Year award and made two All-Star Games. He needed surgery just before the 2010 NBA Playoffs, then surgery one each knee last winter. He has come back quickly from all procedures, but has lost effectiveness.

As recently as this week, Blazers coach Nate McMillan has said that Roy could start for the Blazers this season.

For more on Roy's decision and the impact on the Blazers, visit Blazer's Edge.