Brandon Roy might have played his final NBA game. (AP)

Just five years ago, Brandon Roy entered the NBA as one of the league’s young talents. He quickly flourished as a member of the Trail Blazers, helping turn Portland from perennial bottom-feeder into a postseason contender.

But now, Roy reportedly is retiring because of his ailing knees. Roy’s knees lack cartilage, which means there is no cushion in between the bones. The knees began giving Roy problems early last season, forcing him to miss games and relegating Roy to a role on the bench. He averaged a career-low 12.2 points per game last season.

Roy is expected to announce his retirement at some point over the next week. The amnesty clause in his contract would allow Portland to release him, but Roy does not wish to be released and then picked up by another team because of his connection with the Portland community.

Earlier this week, Blazers president Larry Miller had said that the team would not use the amnesty clause on Roy and that the Blazers expected him to be a part of the team when the seasons starts.

The 2006-07 Rookie of the Year, Roy is a three-time All Star and was named to the All-NBA second team in 2009 and the All-NBA third team in 2010.

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