Tag: Trendon Watford

Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a deal with forward Trendon Watford

The Brooklyn Nets announced on Thursday that they have signed free-agent forward Trendon Watford to a deal.

The Brooklyn Nets have made it through a crucial part of their offseason as they have been able to evaluate most of their 2023 draft picks and have signed the majority of their free-agents for next season. It looks like they are adding another free-agent to the bunch to make the team better.

The Nets announced on Thursday that they have agreed to a deal with free-agent forward Trendon Watford. Watford, 22, comes to Brooklyn after spending the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers as a big man off the bench. NetsDaily reported shortly after the news broke that Watford is being signed to a non-guaranteed standard NBA contract similar to Darius Bazley.

After coming into the league as an undrafted free-agent out of LSU, Watford played solid basketball for the Trail Blazers as a forward who can play on the perimeter in various situations such as rolling to the rim or popping out to the three-point line for straightaway long-range shots. Watford appears to be someone who would not clog the paint for Brooklyn and could be part of the team’s effort to improve the long-range shooting in the wake of losing shooters like Joe Harris and Seth Curry.

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Trendon Watford labeled top free agency target for Bulls

Trendon Watford was labeled as a “top free agency target” for the Chicago Bulls.

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The Chicago Bulls have stayed active in free agency so far. In addition to re-signing Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, the Bulls brought in key free agents Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, improving the team’s depth and 3-point shooting — two things they desperately needed heading into the summer.

But if Chicago hopes to be a playoff team next year, it cannot slow its efforts. There are still a bunch of solid free agents available on the open market, and there is room for improvement on Chicago’s bench. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, who guessed every team’s top free agency target left, the Bulls should go after a young power forward.

Buckley listed Trendon Watford as Chicago’s top target still available on the open market.

“If Chicago wants another big for short-term depth and maybe more in the future, it should target Trendon Watford,” Buckley wrote. “He’s an energetic combo big who only turns 23 in November. He’s put up good numbers on some bad Portland teams — 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.1 minutes this past season — but it shouldn’t cost the Bulls much to find out whether that production is legit.”

Bulls Wire pegged Watford as a great target for Chicago when he went unsigned through the first few days of free agency.

The 22-year-old forward provides a perfect mix of upside potential and a solid, win-now impact. His hustle play and improving 3-point shot should be intriguing skills for a Chicago team that should be searching for cheap talent.

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Trendon Watford should be at top of Bulls’ free agency target list

As NBA free agency rolls on, Trendon Watford should top the Chicago Bulls’ target list.

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Just a few days into NBA free agency, the Chicago Bulls have been active. On the first night, they re-signed Coby White to a new deal and brought in veteran point guard Jevon Carter on a three-year contract. A few days prior, they re-signed star big man Nikola Vucevic.

However, they still need to fill their roster. While the Bulls are striving for a playoff spot next year, they should also be trying to add young talent they can develop into high-level guys. Trendon Watford fits that description perfectly.

Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation first brought up the idea, listing Watford as a realistic name Chicago could target on a minimum contract. The Portland Trail Blazers recently waived the young forward in a move that came as a shock to many.

Watford is just 22 years old and is entering his third NBA season. He showed significant potential in Portland this past season, appearing in 62 games and playing 19.1 minutes per contest.

The 6-foot-9 power forward/center averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on 56% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from beyond the arc (on just 1.0 attempts per game).

For a Bulls squad in need of forward depth, Watford provides the perfect mix of quality play and developmental intrigue. He’s a hard-nosed player who plays with an elite level of hustle, and he would undoubtedly become a fan favorite in Chicago, should he be brought on board.

Watford should top the Bulls’ free agency target list heading into the coming days.

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Damian Lillard hilariously learned Blazers won Summer League while in the pool on Instagram Live

“They winning Summer League, this what me and Ant doing!”

The Blazers won the NBA 2K23 Summer League title, taking home the first-ever championship rings from Las Vegas back to Portland.

This was an especially impressive tournament victory because fans could only watch the 2022 NBA Draft No. 7 overall pick, Shaedon Sharpe, less than six minutes before he was sidelined with an injury.

However, the organization had a few major victories on the court even before defeating the New York Knicks 85-77 to become champions on Sunday. For example, second-round pick Jabari Walker looks like he might be the draft’s biggest steal.

Another impressive player was second-year forward Trendon Watford, who won the Summer League Championship Game MVP. He finished the game with 19 points and 7 rebounds, then hopped on Instagram Live to celebrate.

While relaxing during his offseason, Portland superstar guard Damian Lillard tapped in to join.

Watford showed the trophy to Lillard, who seemed elated by the success of his young teammates. Lillard then told everyone he was with about Portland’s victory.

That included 23-year-old guard Anfernee Simons, who recently agreed to a $100-million contract extension with the team. Here is what Lillard said:

“We won the Summer League joint! … Hey … They winning Summer League, this what me and Ant doing … You know what I’m saying?”

Lillard and Simons were getting some necessary relaxation in by the pool before the season begins again in just a few short months.

Next time Lillard and Simons are seen on the court, perhaps Watford can bring some winning momentum to help the team return to the playoffs next season.

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Trail Blazers: Trendon Watford ruled out 1 week with knee injury

Watford will miss at least one week after suffering a left knee injury on Saturday in a loss to the Rockets.

Portland Trail Blazers rookie Trendon Watford will miss at least one week after suffering a left knee injury on Saturday in a 115-98 loss to the Houston Rockets.

Watford initially suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter after driving into the paint. He appeared to step on the foot of a defender and then went crashing onto the floor. He looked to be in considerable pain and was eventually helped off of the court to the locker room.

He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.

The Trail Blazers announced that Watford was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee. He suffered a bone contusion in his left leg and will be reevaluated in one week.

Watford played sparingly to begin the season but has since become a mainstay on the floor for the Trail Blazers. He is in the midst of his best stretch of the season, averaging 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and one blocked shot in 13 games this month.

Portland has eight games left and is among the teams in contention for the play-in tournament, four games back of the New Orleans Pelicans in 10th place. They will certainly not rush Watford back, but it is possible he could play again with the team fighting for a playoff berth.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Alperen Sengun enjoys career scoring night as Rockets sweep Portland back-to-back

Rookie big man Alperen Sengun scored a career-high 27 points on Saturday night in Portland, leading Houston to its first winning streak since January.

Rookie big man Alperen Sengun had the best scoring night of his young NBA career, leading Houston to a 115-98 victory (box score) at Portland on Saturday night. With the win, the Rockets (20-55) swept the injury-ravaged Trail Blazers (27-47) in a weekend back-to-back, and it represents Houston’s first streak of consecutive victories since January.

Sengun scored 27 points in under 26 minutes, making 10-of-16 shots (62.5%) overall. He also collected 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.

Fellow rookie Jalen Green stayed hot, scoring 25 points in 32 minutes on 6-of-11 from 3-point range (54.5%). Green, the No. 2 pick from the 2021 NBA draft, was Friday’s leading scorer. Backcourt mate Kevin Porter Jr. had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 assists.

The Trail Blazers were again led by power forward Trendon Watford, who scored a team-high 15 points in 30 minutes on 7-of-11 shooting (63.6%). He also added 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Unfortunately, Watford left the game early with a leg injury in the fourth quarter.

After starting in Friday’s win, Eric Gordon did not play for the Rockets on Saturday, as has become customary for him on part of all back-to-backs. After going winless in Gordon’s first 17 absences, Houston picked up its first victory of the 2021-22 season without its veteran guard.

Scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction.

There goes that Mann: Tre rising up in latest Rookie Power Rankings

Rookie Wire takes a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2021-22 season.

With less than 10 games to go in the 2021-22 season for most teams, the NBA has seen several storylines break out recently. As a result, there have been some incredible individual performances.

The stars of the league have seemingly gone off on a nightly basis as of late, while the rookie class continues to show out. They may not be exploding for 50 points like their peers, but the group continues to throw its weight around as one of the best classes in recent memory.

To make sense of it all, we took a look at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.

Trail Blazers: Trendon Watford taking advantage of new opportunity

Watford saw limited minutes to begin the season but the Trail Blazers rookie has played a key role as of late for Chauncey Billups.

Trendon Watford saw limited minutes to begin the season with the Portland Trail Blazers but the undrafted forward from LSU has played a key role as of late for Chauncey Billups.

Now, Watford is trying to make the most of that newfound opportunity.

Watford, who was converted to a standard contract in February, entered the rotation on Jan. 3 and has since played every game. He is averaging 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31 games in that span, and is currently in the midst of his best stretch of the season.

The 21-year-old has scored in double figures in five straight games, including back-to-back 20-point performances. Watford produced a career-high 27 points on Saturday in a win over the Washington Wizards, and earned praise from Billups afterward.

I thought Trendon was incredible the entire night. I thought he was good defensively, too. He had his hands full with (Kyle) Kuzma. I was really looking to see how he would compete against Kuz and I thought he was really good. He was solid the entire time.

Since the trade deadline, the Trail Blazers have reset the roster a bit and have prioritized minutes for their younger players. Cornerstones Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons are injured, so guys like Watford, Brandon Williams, Greg Brown III and Keon Johnson have all seen increased time.

Watford and the rest of the younger players view the rest of the season as a tremendous chance to carve out a place on the team moving forward and improve as a whole.

“Just getting this opportunity, we’re just trying to take advantage of it with all of the guys out,” Watford said. “We got a lot of young guys and we gotta step up. At the end of the day, we’re professionals, guys out there, they’re not going to care how old we are so we just gotta be out there and man up.”

With the Trail Blazers looking ahead a bit, Watford is beginning to showcase why he deserves a place on the team moving forward. Billups has certainly noticed his recent play.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Trail Blazers convert Trendon Watford to standard NBA contract

Watford, who went undrafted out of LSU, is averaging 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 33 games.

On Monday, the Portland Trail Blazers announced they converted the two-way contract of rookie Trendon Watford to a standard NBA deal.

Watford, who went undrafted out of LSU last year, is averaging 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 33 games on 59% shooting from the field. He leads all first-year players that have taken at least 100 shots in field goal percentage.

The contract is reportedly worth $5.8 million over four years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The final two years of the contract will be non-guaranteed. To make room for the signing, the Trail Blazers waived Dennis Smith Jr.

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Watford played two seasons at LSU before entering the NBA draft. He was named to the All-SEC first team as a sophomore after averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He finished sixth in the SEC in scoring and fifth in rebounding.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Live tracker: Here is where the top undrafted free agents have signed

The 2021 NBA draft has come and gone but the draft cycle still continues for a bit longer as the undrafted free agents find their new homes.

The 2021 NBA draft has come and gone but the draft cycle still continues for a bit longer as the undrafted free agents find their new homes.

While the following prospects didn’t get to hear their name called by the commissioner or deputy commissioner on Thursday night, they can find solace in the fact that their path to the pros is far from over. It’s not unheard of for an undrafted free agent to carve out a role for themselves in the NBA.

Some notable names, including Gonzaga’s Joel Ayayi and G League Ignite’s Daishen Nix, will join the fraternity of undrafted basketball players who hope to still make a name for themselves in the NBA.

Here is where the best remaining prospects have landed so far, according to reports: