It's just a business. Aren't we told that on a daily basis about professional sports? Brandon Roy and the loyal fans of the Portland Trail Blazers are about to find out how true that adage is.

Roy, a 6'6" guard, is a three-time NBA All Star. He was a star at Seattle's Garfield High School and the University of Washington before moving three hours south to help rebuild a troubled Trail Blazer franchise.

Roy is probably the most important Trail Blazer of the past 10 years, yet that will mean very little if owner Paul Allen and his second-in-command Bert Kolde decide to send him packing.

As part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, an "Amnesty Clause" will allow teams to get rid of one so-called "bad contract." It appears that Allen is keen to dump Roy's five-year $82 million deal, clear some salary cap space and possibly save some money on the luxury tax.

With serious damage to both of his knees, Roy has lost the explosiveness that made him one of the NBA's best one-on-one players. That, combined with the fact that Roy is more effective in a half-court game with the ball in his hand - and this Blazer team is built for speed - also might justify the use of the Amnesty Clause.

But should this be based solely on practicality? After all, this is a man who in many ways was the saviour of the franchise.

For years, the Trail Blazers were the epitome of success in professional sports. After winning the NBA title in 1977, Portland fans packed the Memorial Coliseum night after night, setting consecutive game attendance records and making the building one of the toughest places for visiting teams to play.

Players were beloved in the community. From Maurice Lucas to Larry Steele, Terry Porter to Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, the Blazers were a part of Portland. They were visible, they were personable. It was a symbiotic relationship.

After trips to the Finals in 1990 and 1992, the Blazer ship began to take on water, and the team struggled on and off the court. A series of bad signings and bad behaviour (players like Isaiah Rider, Qyntel Woods and Darius Miles inspired the nickname "Jail Blazers") helped do the unthinkable: turn Portland fans away from their Blazers. The new Rose Garden had plenty of empty seats. Even longtime sponsors started losing interest.

In 2006, Roy came on board and immediately had an impact. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2007 and made the All Star team in 2008, the first Portland player to win that honour since Rasheed Wallace in 2001.

When the Blazers won the 2007 Draft Lottery and selected big man Greg Oden, it looked as if the team was on the way up. Some started talking title in terms of "how many" not "if." As we know, Oden has been afflicted with terrible injuries and it's hard to say what impact he'll ever have on the Blazers.

But Roy has been there throughout, a steadying presence on the court and in the community. In the 2008-2009 season he averaged a career-high 22.6 points per game and nearly five rebounds per game. Roy also became the face of the new, accountable Trail Blazers. He was fan friendly, he was from the Northwest (albeit Seattle) and he stayed out of trouble.

Now the Blazers are faced with a dilemma: cut a pillar of the franchise and risk the wrath of the fans or keep a highly-paid player who's possibly past his prime.

It's not a certainty that the club will use the Amnesty Clause on Roy. In comments made on Thursday (Australia time), Trail Blazers' president Larry Miller said the club had made no decision yet.

Fans, however, aren't taking any chances. They've already started a "Keep Brandon Roy" campaign on social media. Remember, the Portland faithful have already lost one of their favourites, Aussie Patty Mills, who's playing in China. The departure of Roy would be a metaphorical kick to the solar plexus.

Hey, it's just a business, right?