On June 28, 2007, Fernández was taken 24th overall in the NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, who subsequently traded his draft rights along with James Jones to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash. Rudy Fernández announced at a press conference on Friday, June 6, 2008, that he would leave DKV Joventut to join the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2008–09 NBA season, and he signed a contract with the Blazers on July 1. "They [Portland] have shown a lot of interest in getting me and have assured me that I will be an important part in the team", he said. Fernández joined the NBA team on September 22, 2008. He became the eighth Spaniard to play in the NBA. For the 2008–09 NBA season he joined several other fellow Spaniards in the league that included Pau and Marc Gasol, Jose Calderón, and Trail Blazers teammate Sergio Rodríguez. He entered the NBA following his participation with the Spain national team at the 2008 Olympic basketball tournament in Beijing, China.