Well, that didn’t take very long.
Colorado Buffaloes star Jabari Walker was the second to last choice in the 2022 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. It remained to be seen whether or not he would make the roster, but his performance at the Las Vegas Summer League has everybody buzzing.
Now, Walker has officially inked his contract with the Blazers. According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, Walker signed a three-year deal worth $4.76 million. The contract includes a full guarantee in his first year and a partial guarantee for next season, so Walker’s NBA time is set in stone for the time being.
Sources: The Portland Trail Blazers have signed Jabari Walker to a three-year, $4.76 million deal, which is fully guaranteed Year 1, partially guaranteed Year 2, and non-guaranteed Year 3, @hoopshype has learned. Portland selected Walker 57th overall in the draft.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 14, 2022
From nearly going undrafted to signing a guaranteed deal, this is a terrific accomplishment for Walker, who put up a double-double earlier this week.
His numbers so far are stellar, so it makes sense why the Blazers locked him up this early.
Trail Blazers announce the signing of 2nd round draft pick Jabari Walker.
During Summer League he's averaging 13.0 points (68.2% FG, 37.5% 3-PT, 66.7% FT), 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 19.6 minutes per game#RipCity
— Orlando Sanchez (@orlandokgw) July 13, 2022
A two-way contract seemed reasonable, but Walker’s play has secured him a guaranteed deal, and he was thrilled to sign the contract.
It’s official Portland!!🖤❤️🖤❤️ let’s gooooo pic.twitter.com/wTTmWWhAj4
— Jabari Walker (@jabari521) July 14, 2022
Although we’ll miss him, it looks like Walker made the right move going to the NBA, and now we can see him play with the Blazers for the next couple of seasons, at least.
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