Trail Blazers acquire G Bayless from Pacers

Jul 10, 2008 - 12:44 AM PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- The Portland Trail Blazers continued to stockpile young talent Wednesday, finalizing the NBA Draft day deal that acquired guard Jerryd Bayless and forward Ike Diogu from the Indiana Pacers for guard Jarrett Jack, forward Josh McRoberts and the draft rights to guard Brandon Rush.

Selected 11th overall out of Arizona, Bayless joins a young core in Portland that includes Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster.

The Trail Blazers later in the day signed the 6-3, 200-pound Bayless to a multi-year contract.

Bayless will make over $1.6 million in his first season and nearly $5.2 million over three years due to the rookie pay scale negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement.

Known for his quickness, Bayless, who averaged 19.7 points and 4.0 assists while shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range in his lone collegiate season, will participate in the 2008 Las Vegas Summer League from July 12-20.

"We had a lot of flexibility heading into this year's NBA draft," Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "Ultimately though, we only wanted to make moves that made our team better, both on and off the court. In acquiring Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu, we think we have achieved that."

Diogu, 24, averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 30 games for the Pacers last season.