Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

McGownes signs two-way contract with Portland Trail Blazers

Bryce McGowens has signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

A former Nebraska Cornhusker has found a new home in the NBA. Bryce McGowens has signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.

McGowens spent his first two seasons in the league with the Charlotte Hornets. In 105 games, he averaged 5.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 15.9 minutes per game.

The guard spent one year at Nebraska before entering the 2022 NBA draft. In his one season, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

He was named to the Big Ten all-rookie team and third-team All-Big Ten. McGowens was also selected as Big Ten Freshman of the Week eight different times during the season and finished as a runner-up for the Freshman of the Year award in the conference.

McGowens will now join Portland’s NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 roster.

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Stephon Castle logs double figures vs. Portland Trail Blazers in Las Vegas Summer League

The Summer Spurs were able to come away with the win thanks to another strong game from University of Connecticut guard alum Stephon Castle.

The San Antonio Spurs have begun their slate of games for the NBA’s 2024 Las Vegas Summer League off with a bang, taking out the Portland Trail Blazers 83-77 with a strong showing in Sin City on this past Saturday (July 13) evening.

The Summer Spurs were able to come away with the win thanks in no small part to another strong game from University of Connecticut guard alum Stephon Castle. The Georgia native put up a game-high 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting from the floor overall (including going 2-of-6 from beyond the arc; Castle also hit 4-of-5 from the free throw line), and also logged 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in 29 minutes of floor time with 5 turnovers and just 1 personal foul.

The folks behind the Spurs’ official YouTube channel put together a highlight reel of his play against the Blazers in Game 1 of Los Vegas Summer League. Check it out for yourself in the clip embedded below.

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Buha: Lakers are in trade talks with three teams

The Lakers are reportedly still working to try to upgrade their roster.

The NBA is now over 48 hours into its official free agency period, and the Los Angeles Lakers are still almost in exactly the same place they were in before it began.

Thus far, their only move has been to get young guard Max Christie to agree to a four-year, $32 million contract. They went after future Hall of Fame sharpshooter Klay Thompson, only to see him agree to join the Dallas Mavericks.

One may think this offseason can already be declared a bust for the Lakers. But there is still the possibility of a significant trade, and beat writer Jovan Buha said there are three teams they’re talking to in the hopes of swinging a roster-enhancing deal — the Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz.

Via The Athletic:

“It’s too early to write the Lakers off, of course,” wrote Buha. “There’s always a chance they pull a rabbit out of a hat with a trade or signing. They have been active in recent days, discussing potential deals with Portland, Brooklyn and Utah, among other teams, according to league and team sources. Vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka tends to operate in the shadows — more so this summer than ever, according to league sources. It’s certainly possible he has a contingency plan that saves the offseason.”

The Lakers are reportedly interested in the Blazers’ Jerami Grant, an athletic two-way forward who averaged 21.0 points a game this past season. Just about any potential trade would likely have to include starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, who opted into the final year of his contract that will pay him $18.7 million.

Hanging over the Lakers organization is the free agency of LeBron James. He has reportedly been willing to take a pay cut for the right free agent, and there is one intriguing free agent still available — DeMar DeRozan.

Los Angeles appears to have just a few days left to upgrade its roster and to reach an agreement with James on a new contract.

“James wants to have his contract situation resolved by the start of the Team USA Olympics practice on Saturday in Las Vegas. That’s an unofficial deadline for Los Angeles, at least on the free-agency front.”

As far as DeRozan is concerned, the Lakers have reportedly had some communication with the forward’s agent.

Duke commit Cooper Flagg named to USA Basketball select team ahead of Paris Olympics

Duke commit Cooper Flagg is among the 15 players named to the USA Basketball select team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Duke Blue Devils commit Cooper Flagg is among the 15 players named to the USA Basketball select team that will train with the senior national team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Flagg, the consensus No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024, is the lone collegiate player on the roster, which will be led by Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. He is the first collegian to participate with the select team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013.

The select team will practice and scrimmage daily against the senior roster July 6-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team boasts 12 current players in the NBA or G League and 10 players with USA Basketball experience at the junior and senior levels.

USA Basketball previously announced the 12-man roster for the 2024 Olympic Games with NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker headlining the group.

The U.S. qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games by finishing as one of the top two teams in the Americas region of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, despite failing to medal. The group, led by Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves and Mikal Bridges, finished fourth.

They were selected to compete in Group C. The Americans, who will be coached by Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few, will open on July 28 against Serbia and face South Sudan on July 31 and a team still to earn a berth on Aug. 3.

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Report: Add Portland to list of Houston’s trade suitors for No. 3 draft pick

The Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly another interested trade suitor for Houston’s No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

The Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly another interested trade suitor for Houston’s No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft. Previous reports identified the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies as potential trade partners with the Rockets.

Portland’s interest in a deal for No. 3 was identified by both Jake Fischer (Yahoo! Sports) and Kelly Iko (The Athletic).

The framework of any potential deal appears similar. The Hornets, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies are currently slated to pick in the 2024 lottery at No. 6, No. 7, and No. 9, respectively. Portland also owns the No. 14 overall selection (via Golden State).

In theory, all of those teams could offer a latter lottery pick along with some other asset in exchange for moving up to Houston’s earlier pick. The question, of course, is what that bonus asset would be.

Some reports identified Grizzlies veteran Marcus Smart as a potential target for the Rockets, though Fischer reports that Memphis has no interest in moving him. Others on social media have tossed out Portland’s Anfernee Simons as a fit for the Rockets, or perhaps a combination of both pick No. 7 and the No. 14 selection.

The Rockets would also need to send out matching salaries in any deal involving an established veteran players — though Houston has a number of short-term contracts among the likes of Jock Landale, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate that could facilitate such a deal.

Another option that’s reportedly of interest to the Rockets is trading the No. 3 selection for future draft capital, which could potentially broaden the pool beyond the NBA’s 2024 lottery teams.

The first round will take place on Wednesday night, June 26.

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Bleacher Report proposes a Josh Giddey for Anfernee Simons swap

Bleacher Report proposes a Josh Giddey for Anfernee Simons swap.

The 2024 NBA offseason is nearly here, which means front offices are about to spend their next few months reshaping their rosters. An avenue to do this is via the trade market.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are fresh off a first seed and a second-round exit in the 2024 NBA playoffs. Working with a treasure trove of draft picks and $35 million in cap space, they can easily make immediate upgrades to their roster.

Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed one new trade idea for all 30 NBA teams. For the Thunder, their trade idea involved adding a scoring guard who can bring a punch off the bench — something they needed in the postseason.

The deal features the Thunder shipping Josh Giddey and the 2024 No. 12 pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons.

“Oklahoma City could instead dip into its asset pool to make a significant-but-not-internet-breaking addition. When the Thunder were undone this season, a lack of consistent creation around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the most common culprit. …

Swapping out Giddey to get Simons would cost the Thunder some size and defense, but the gains in self-sufficient scoring and space-creating shooting would be enormous.”

On a surface level, this deal makes a lot of sense for both sides. Giddey gets a fresh start and can return to a ballhandling playmaker role paired with Scoot Henderson. The No. 12 pick also provides the rebuilding Trail Blazers another lottery pick.

Simons provides the Thunder an outside shooter who can score his own buckets. The 24-year-old is also young enough to fit the timeline of this core. He averaged 22.6 points on 43% shooting, 5.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds last season. He shot 38.5% from 3 on 8.8 attempts.

Simons is also under contract for two more seasons at $53.6 million. It perfectly aligns with the Thunder’s payroll as the trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will likely command high salaries soon.

Usually, mock trades are difficult to project into reality, but this is a solid deal that benefits both sides in many ways.

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Potential first-round pick Jaylon Tyson visited the Trail Blazers for a predraft workout

Potential first-round pick Jaylon Tyson was among the prospects who worked out with the Trail Blazers on Thursday.

Potential first-round pick Jaylon Tyson was among the six prospects who attended a predraft workout with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, the team announced.

Tyson was named to the All-Pac-12 first team this past season after averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals on 36% shooting from 3-point range as a junior at Cal. His 607 points were the seventh-most by a Cal player in a single season.

The 6-foot-7 guard registered 17 20-point games, the most by a Golden Bear since Jerome Randle in the 2009-10 season. He reached that mark in six consecutive games to start conference play, the longest streak in program history since 1997.

Joining Tyson in the workout on Thursday were West Virginia guard RaeQuan Battle, UCLA forward Adem Bona, Kansas State forward Arthur Kaluma, Kentucky forward Ugonna Onyenso and Florida guard Will Richard.

The Trail Blazers figure to be very active in the predraft process because they have four draft picks in the top 40 (7, 14, 34, 40). The organization will likely cast a wide net and bring in as many prospects as possible for workouts and interviews.

The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.

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Where are Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski in the newest Bleacher Report NBA mock draft?

Bleacher Report shared an updated NBA mock draft on Tuesday, and Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski both appeared in the selections.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released an updated NBA mock draft on Tuesday, and he included former Duke basketball players Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski in the opening round.

McCain, who shot better than 40% from the 3-point line as a freshman, keeps watching his stock rise due to his shooting and offensive creation. Fans called for him in the lottery after he went crazy during a 3-point shooting drill at the NBA Draft Combine last week. Wasserman paired him with the Portland Trail Blazers with the 14th pick and praised how repeatable the Blue Devil’s shooting form looked.

“Shotmaking has and will always be what powers his offense and value,” Wasserman wrote. “But McCain’s effectiveness this year in ball-screen situations, using change of speed, footwork, crafty finishing and vision, point to more on-ball upside with his creativity and feel.”

Filipowski, the Second Team All-American, went 23rd to the Milwaukee Bucks. The 7-footer averaged more than 16 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore, but his 2.8 assists and near-35% 3-point shooting make him an enticing option in the modern game.

“Shooting range, post skill, improved finishing and passing and defensive mobility create versatility that should lock Filipowski into the late-lottery/mid-first round,” Wasserman wrote.

The Bleacher Report scout thinks Filipowski won’t be a lead option at the NBA level, but he sees the former Duke star succeeding as a stretch four or a center.

The NBA Draft gets underway on June 26.

The latest 2024 NBA mock draft from CBS has Donovan Clingan to the Trail Blazers

Could the Blazers really take the UConn big man?

Where’s Donovan Clingan going in the 2024 NBA Draft after a terrific March?

In an uncertain NBA Draft class beyond seemingly consensus No. 1 pick Alex Sarr, Clingan has been projected all over the lottery. In our latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky, he’s got the UConn big man going No. 9 to the Memphis Grizzlies, who could use a Steven Adams replacement. But in the latest CBS Sports mock, he’s going No. 7 to the Blazers, who have Deandre Ayton under contract. But maybe the idea is to let Clingan develop and be ready in a couple of years.

Here’s what Gary Parrish wrote:

Clingan was a monster in the NCAA Tournament while helping UConn win a second straight national championship. The only real thing preventing him from being an ideal big in the modern-NBA is a reliable jumper. But everything else — an ability to block and alter shots, switch comfortably onto smaller players, etc., — is pretty easy to see and why Clingan could be a great long term fixture in the middle for Portland.

Intriguing! Make sure you check out the newest post-lottery mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky, along with the official draft order post-lottery.

Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski both go top 15 in NBA mock draft from CBS Sports

A CBS Sports writer released an updated NBA mock draft after the lottery, and former Duke stars Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski went in a three-pick span.

CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone released an NBA mock draft on Sunday after the lottery results were finalized, and he slotted both available Blue Devils into his top 15.

Jared McCain went 12th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Kyle Filipowski went two picks later to the Portland Trail Blazers with the 14th pick.

McCain, who slotted in with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this season, earns praise for his shooting ability. The 6-foot-3 guard made more than 41% of his 3-point attempts, averaging more than 14 points per game. He put up three 30-point games, including two during March Madness.

Filipowski, the 7-foot forward, was the Trail Blazers’ second pick of the draft. The team started with Kentucky shooter Reed Sheppard with the seventh pick. Boone thought the two complimented each other well.

“First Portland adds shooting in Reed Sheppard,” he wrote. “[N]ow it adds size + shooting in Filipowski, a 7-footer with real talent as a floor-spacer and offensive hub….a dynamic big who can do a little of everything.”

Filipowski averaged nearly three assists per game in 2023-24 despite his size and role as a forward.

The NBA draft begins on June 26.