Trail Blazers Lose Ainge, Sign Spurs’ Strickland

The Portland Trail Blazers signed free agent guard Rod Strickland to a multiyear contract said to be worth $12.6 million Friday, only hours after losing Danny Ainge to the Phoenix Suns.

Strickland, 26, played the last two seasons for the San Antonio Spurs. He spent his first two seasons in the NBA with the New York Knicks.

In Portland, Strickland is expected to be part of a three-guard rotation with Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter.

“It was fairly obvious in the Chicago (championship) series that, when Porter was out of the game, we struggled to get the ball up the court,” Portland Coach Rick Adelman said. “In looking at the free agents available, Rod was the guy we wanted. Whether Danny was here or not, Rod Strickland was the guy we wanted to get.”

Said Ainge, who signed a three-year, $5.2-million contract with the Suns: “I told the Trail Blazers after the season that I’d be looking at the free-agent market, and they didn’t call me Monday or Tuesday before the deadline. So when (the Suns) called, it was a little easier to decide.”

So that Phoenix could sign Ainge, Sun forwards Charles Barkley and Tom Chambers agreed to rework their contracts to get the Suns under the NBA’s $14-million salary cap, Sun President Jerry Colangelo said.