Portland Officials Say They’re Serious About Signing Free-Agent Sampson

Officials of the Portland Trail Blazers insist they are serious about trying to sign free-agent Ralph Sampson.

The Portland Oregonian reported Tuesday that Harley Frankel, the National Basketball Assn. team’s chief negotiator, held a lengthy meeting with Sampson’s agent, Gene Perry, last Thursday, the day the league’s moratorium on signing free agents was lifted.

Frankel said he has remained in contact with Perry since that meeting.

The newspaper said the Trail Blazers apparently have about $1.5 million available under their salary cap to sign the 7-foot 4-inch Sampson, an amount that may not be high enough.

But Blazer officials believe they might be able to lure Sampson to Portland if he finds the team attractive and if a compensation deal can be worked out with the Houston Rockets.

“We think the money (from all the interested teams) is going to be virtually identical,” said Bucky Buckwalter, Portland’s vice president of basketball operations. “It’s going to come down to which team Ralph wants to play for.”