Blake will be returning to Trail Blazers
Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News
Published July 14, 2007 at midnight
Steve Blake is heading to Portland, meaning he won't have to travel far to join his new team.
The free-agent point guard said Friday he and the Trail Blazers have agreed to a two-year deal with an option.
Though a Florida native, Blake and his family make their offseason home in Portland, Ore.
Blake averaged 8.3 points and 6.6 assists in 49 games with the Nuggets last season.
He was willing to return to Denver but opted for Portland as the Nuggets finalized a contract with guard Chucky Atkins. "It's a great situation for me," said Atkins, who has a two-year deal with a team option for a third.
"That's OK, if that's the direction they want to go," Blake said in a brief telephone interview. "I just decided to go back to Portland."
Blake, 27, made $1.33 million last season and was seeking a starting salary close to the NBA's $5.35 million midlevel exception.
Blake, of course, is familiar with Portland's NBA franchise. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 assists for the Blazers in 2005-06.
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