The Portland Trail Blazers today acquired guard/forward Fred Jones, a former Oregon Duck, and future considerations from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Juan Dixon. As part of the trade, Jones has agreed not to exercise the player option year of his contract, meaning his current deal will expire at the end of the 2007-08 season.

?It?s always fun to add such a talented player with such strong local connections to our roster?, said Trail Blazers President/General Manager Steve Patterson. ?Fred is a versatile athlete with high character and a great track record of community involvement and we think he fits perfectly into the culture we?ve been cultivating here in Portland.?

Jones has played in 39 games this season with nine starts and is averaging 7.6 points and 1.4 assists per game. He joined the Raptors this past summer as a free agent after four seasons with the Indiana Pacers, who drafted Jones in the first round (14th overall pick) in the 2002 NBA Draft, three spots ahead of Dixon that year.