Ron Artest said he's ready to sign and play for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Trevor Ariza said the same about the Houston Rockets.
The Boston Celtics pray Rasheed Wallace follows their lead.
But will the Portland Trail Blazers hear the words "I do" from Hedo?
When Turkoglu landed in Portland on Thursday afternoon on Horizon Air flight 2253 from Seattle, he was greeted by Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard, Assistant General Manager Tom Penn and scouts Mike Born and Chad Buchanan. And while the organization didn't send the teams' private plan to pick-up the Orlando Magic's popular free-agent, his landing in Portland is said to be a safe one.
"As a player, that's what you want – to be interested by teams, especially good teams," the 6'10 Turkish sharpshooter told the local media who gathered at Portland's International Airport.
"They've been a good team the last few years. They are a team that is built on a bunch of great young players. If things work out, I'm just going to be one of the experienced guys."
Sounds like a return flight to Orlando may not be in the works – at least not until Saturday.
Until then, the Blazers plan on showing and telling Turkoglu millions of reasons why he should sign with the Blazers this offseason: 5 years for $50 million to be exact. Toronto is reportedly also interested in Hedo and should be able to offer him more financially. But the Blazers – who finished with 54 wins last season and made the playoffs - are in a better position to win right now, and while money will eventually determine the outcome of Turkoglu's destination, every player wants the chance to play for a winner.
For Portland though, securing Hedo provides a chance to compete against a number of teams out West who are wasting no time in stockpiling talent a couple days into free-agency. With Artest, the Lakers will only get better –downright scary for the reigning NBA Champs. Rick Adelman should bring out the best in Ariza in Houston – a team that bounced the Blazers in the first round. And now it's on Portland to keep pace, and they hope to accomplish such a feat by inking one of the top free-agents this summer has to offer.
Still, turbulence surrounds the possible addition of Hedo to the Blazers.
Some believe – Rudy Fernandez perhaps being one, this after a report surfaced Wednesday about his disapproval of the alleged deal with Hedo - that bringing in another small forward to compete for minutes would only stunt his growth in Portland. Travis Outlaw's future with the Blazers also appears iffy at best. As for Pritchard and Nate McMillan, they are clearly comfortable knowing Portland would receive someone who would put several concerns about the team to rest.
"We need someone to get us over the hump, and we feel like he can," Pritchard said.
Turkoglu said the sooner he can finalize a deal, the better it would be for him and his offseason preparation. And with guys like Ben Gordon (5 years, $55 million with Detroit), Artest (5 years, $33 million with the Lakers), Ariza (5 years, $33 million with Houston) already having handshake deals with their new respective teams, Hedo shouldn't be far behind with the Blazers expected to make their move in the coming days.
All that is missing now is a formal offer from Portland.
