Blazers sign former lottery pick Luke Jackson

Aug 27, 2008 - 10:31 PM PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- The Portland Trail Blazers signed a trio of free agents on Wednesday, including former lottery pick Luke Jackson.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Jackson, a major bust after being selected 10th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, has played in just 73 NBA games in his career. He was an All-American at Oregon, where he led the Ducks to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a sophomore.

But Jackson's professional career has not met with the same success. He appeared in just 10 games in his rookie campaign, averaging less than five minutes per game, and has bounced around from team to team in the four years since.

The Cavaliers gave up on Jackson after two years when they traded him to the Boston Celtics, who subsequently gave up on him before the 2006-07 season even began.

The 26-year-old forward has played 27 games over the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. He set career-highs with 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game with the Heat last season.

The Blazers also signed center Steven Hill and guard Jamaal Tatum.

Hill had a successful four-year career at Arkansas, getting named the Southeastern Conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 2006-07. Tatum starred at Southern Illinois and was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year his senior season.