Timberwolves release Brandon Roy
The Timberwolves have released Brandon Roy. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)
The Timberwolves announced Friday the release of guard Brandon Roy, who played just five games for the team last season after attempting a comeback from an unofficial retirement due to ongoing knee injuries.
"We wish Brandon and his family all the best in the future," Timberwolves president Flip Saunders said in a statement, confirming a Yahoo! Sports report.
Roy, 28, was a three-time All-Star during a five-year career with the Blazers that came to an abrupt end when Portland used the amnesty clause on him in Dec. 2011. A series of knee surgeries had taken their toll, diminishing the quality of Roy's play and his ability to stay on the court during the 2010-11 season, and he opted to sit out the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season once he cleared the amnesty waivers process.
Last summer, then-Timberwolves president David Kahn signed Roy to a two-year, $10.4 million contract, but Roy succumbed to knee trouble again early in the 2012-13 season, undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right in November. Although he was initially expected to miss just one month, a setback wound up keeping him off the court for the rest of the season.
Reports surfaced throughout the season that Roy would retire again and he told reporters in March that he had no regrets about a career that was cut short so quickly by injuries.
"If I never play another game, I'll still be completely happy with my career," he said.
The 2013-14 portion of Roy's contract was reportedly non-guaranteed.
Roy averaged 5.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds for the Timberwolves in his five appearances. He holds career averages of 18.8 points, 6.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game and was named to the 2009 All-NBA second-team and the 2010 All-NBA third-team.
