Report: Blazers to decline Thomas Robinson's 4th-year option

Just three years after being picked fifth overall in the NBA draft, forward Thomas Robinson will find himself an unrestricted free agent.

The Portland Trail Blazers are set to decline their option for the fourth year of his rookie contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. That will make Robinson an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, at the age of 24.

It's not often such a high pick has a rookie-scale option declined, but as a No. 5 pick, Robinson's 2015-16 price tag is substantial at $4.66 million. That's a manageable number, but with the Blazers set to enter the summer with LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez, and more as free agents, flexibility becomes paramount.

Robinson has also failed to earn that amount, and Portland represents the third team to have given up on him in short order. Originally drafted by the Sacramento Kings, he lasted just 51 games before being dealt to Houston in a five-player shuffle. At the end of 2012-13, the Rockets dealt him to Portland for Kostas Papanikolau, largely to clear cap space but also to bring in an intriguing prospect.

Over 140 games in two seasons, Robinson has shown flashes of the double-double threat he promised to be, but hasn't been able to do so on a consistent basis. He's averaged just 4.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 13.8 minutes, posting a below-average player efficiency rating of 12.4. He took a step forward as a sophomore, though, and he's still plenty young enough to suggest there's greater upside here.

As an impending free agent, Robinson becomes a somewhat intriguing trade candidate, as teams may want an up-close look before approaching him on the open market. In the meantime, he'll see time as the backup power forward behind Aldridge, a role that probably caps him at around 15 minutes a night.