Trail Blazers buy out Steve Francis' contract

As beautifully as the Zach Randolph trade may work out for the Knicks, it's hard to argue with what Steve Francis got out of it Tuesday night.

The former Knicks guard received his wish when his new team, the Portland Trail Blazers, bought out the final two years of his contract. The deal, in the works for weeks, was completed Tuesday and Francis hits the waiver wire at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

In seven days, Francis will be an unrestricted free agent after banking more than $30 million of the $33.6 million he was due. No wonder Francis and his longtime agent, Jeff Fried, celebrated at a Ruth's Chris in D.C. Tuesday night.

"This was the definition of a win-win situation with Isiah and the Knicks getting Zach Randolph and Steve being the ultimate beneficiary in being bought out," Fried said.

So essentially, the Knicks traded Channing Frye for Randolph and let Paul Allen, the Blazers' billionaire owner, take care of Francis, who will get a chance to revive his career in a more favorable situation. The Heat, Clippers and Mavericks are the most likely landing spots for Francis.