Free-agent point guard Steve Blake, a 13-year NBA veteran out of Maryland, is currently without a team entering the season for the first time in his career.
Blake, known as one of the toughest and hardest working guys to play in recent years, is currently an unrestricted free agent. He spent the first part of free agency working out at the Trail Blazers facility, keeping his game sharp while eagerly anticipating the day an NBA team would call.
That call would never come.
“I’ve never had to wait this long,” Blake told ESPN. “I’ve always had a place to go. To be in this space … it’s definitely different.”
Blake has played for several teams during his career: The Wizards, Trail Blazers, Bucks, Nuggets, Clippers, Lakers, Warriors and Pistons included.
According to the ESPN.com report, Blake plans on playing in the NBA for one more season. Should he fail to receive a playing invite from a club this year, he’d gladly welcome a coaching job, as well:
If he does get picked up, Blake says, his kids and his wife, Kristen, will remain in Oregon, which will be a difficult adjustment for all of them. But it will be palatable because it will be for just … one … more … year. While his first priority is to play, Blake says he is also open to taking a coaching job. He started planning for the future years ago by enrolling in coaching clinics and attending real estate symposiums.
For Steve Blake, being unemployed from professional Basketball at 37 years old could be the first sign of a storied career coming to a close.
“Sometimes, you don’t realize you are retired until you don’t have a job,” Blake told ESPN.
Should Blake fail to sign a playing contract with a team soon, franchises around the league would likely have interest in adding him as a coach as next summer draws closer. Blake would thrive in this role, being a very high IQ player himself during his career.
Blake has career averages of 6.5 points and 4 assists per game, while also shooting a respectable 38% from deep.
He was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2003 with the No. 38 selection.
