Hedo Turkoglu will be a Portland Trailblazer next season, even if the story won't be broken for another couple of days or so. 

Today, he met with general manager Kevin Pritchard at the Portland International Airport, and gave his best (or worst) poker face when explaining his interest in joining the Blazers.

The Blazers started rookie Nicolas Batum at small forward for just under 20 minutes per game last season, and generally struggled to find a rhythm at the position, even if second-unit gunner Travis Outlaw did enjoy some success there.  Adding Turkoglu to the mix at small forward would put an already dangerous Blazers' squad on the short list of teams that can compete in the West with the Lakers, especially after the Lakers signed Ron Artest. 

While our report is pure speculation, it is difficult for us to believe that Pritchard would make Turkoglu's visit so public if he felt at all threatened that Turkoglu wouldn't sign.  Turkoglu, who may be offered more money by the Toronto Raptors, goes on to explain that he is considering more than the finances in his decision.  With Chris Bosh all but gone during the 2010 Summer of LeBron, and Jerry Colangelo staring down the barrel of a decimated roster, Turkoglu would be crazy to land in Canada and watch his next contract be his last (good one).