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The Portland Trail Blazers have exercised the 2024-25 team option on the Rookie Scale contract of guard Shaedon Sharpe.
The Blazers selected Sharpe with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. During his rookie season, Sharpe averaged 9.9 points (47.2% FG, 36.0% 3-PT, 71.4% FT), 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.5 steals in 22.2 minutes per game in 80 games (15 starts).
The Portland Trail Blazers have signed center George Conditt.
And in two subsequent moves, the Trail Blazers requested waivers on guards Malachi Smith and Antoine Davis.
Conditt, who stands 6 feet 11 and weighs 234 pounds, spent the 2022–23 season playing for Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League as well as Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico.
Conditt, a Chicago native, played four years of college basketball at Iowa State, where he averaged 9.8 points (56.4% FG, 64.1% FT), 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 14.5 minutes per game over 117 games (36 starts).
The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Brandon Randolph.
Over the course of his three-year NBA G League career, Randolph has played in 61 games (29 starts), donning the uniforms of the Austin Spurs (2022-23) and Wisconsin Herd (2019–20, 2021-23). In 18.7 minutes per game, he averages 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists (.497 FG%,.343 3FG%, and.747 FT%). Randolph recorded 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steal in 27.7 minutes in 43 games (28 starts) in the 2022–23 season (.505 FG%,.351 3FG%,.788 FT%).
Summer League 2023 viewers saw the Yonkers, New York native play in five games (two starts) with the Dallas Mavericks, recording 8.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes of action.
Randolph, a 6-6 guard, spent two collegiate seasons at Arizona, appearing in 63 games (35 starts), scoring 8.2 points, and grabbing 2.1 rebounds in 20.4 minutes.
The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on guards Jarkel Joiner and Keaton Wallace.
Joiner and Wallace were signed by the Hawks on Sept. 29, 2023.
NBA preseason began a few days ago. The first Atlanta Hawks preseason game is Tuesday, at home against Cavaliers.
The Toronto Raptors revealed on Friday that forward Precious Achiuwa will miss the team’s open practice after suffering a left groin strain during a training camp exercise.
Achiuwa won’t suit up for the team’s preseason opener against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday in Vancouver.
When the team gets back to Toronto, he’ll get another evaluation, and his health will be updated as needed.
Per President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman, the Orlando Magic have exercised their third-year club option on Paolo Banchero, as well as their fourth-year team options on guard Jalen Suggs and forward Franz Wagner.
Orlando originally selected Banchero (6’10”, 250, 11/12/02) in the first round (first overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft. During his rookie season with the Magic last year, he participated in 72 games and made 72 starts while averaging a team-best 20.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 3.7 apg in 33.7 minutes per game. Banchero was selected unanimously for the 2022–23 NBA All–Rookie First Team and was named the 2022–23 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.
Orlando originally selected Suggs (6’5″, 212, 6/3/01) in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2021 NBA Draft. All with Orlando, he has appeared in 101 regular-season NBA games (64 starts), averaging 10.8 points per game, 3.6 assists per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, and 1.25 steals per game in 25.3 minutes per game.
Orlando originally selected Wagner (6’10”, 230, 8/27/01) in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2021 NBA Draft. He has played and started in 159 regular-season NBA games in his career, all with Orlando, averaging 16.9 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, and 3.2 assists per game in 31.7 minutes per game while shooting.850 (460-541) from the charity stripe. Wagner was selected for the NBA All-Rookie First Team for 2021–22.
Contracts for all three players extend through the 2024–25 season.
The Houston Rockets have signed free agent Reggie Bullock, a former 25th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Bullock has a career record of 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 512 games with 294 starts.
He has averaged 2.1 3-pointers made on 38.8% shooting over the past six seasons.
Bullock spent two seasons with Dallas before being acquired by San Antonio in a three-team trade with Boston.
He started every game for the Mavericks during their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2021-22, averaging 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 3FGM on 39.7% shooting.
The San Antonio Spurs have announced additions and promotions within the team’s basketball operations staff.
The Spurs have added Kaleb Thornhill as VP of player development and organizational growth and Jimmy Baron joins as the team’s shooting development coach, while Josh Brannon has been promoted to player development from the Spurs video room. San Antonio has also promoted Kenny Trevino to head video coordinator, as well as Jon Harris and Ryan Oliver to assistant video coordinators.
In the Spurs medical and performance group, the team has added Guy Nicolette, MD as director of sports medicine, Beth Morford as soft tissue specialist and Guillaume Alquier as athletic performance coach.
Thornhill will lead the Spurs player development efforts as VP of player development and organizational growth. Prior to joining the Silver and Black, he established Pro Athlete Community (PAC) with the mission to help current and former NFL players sharpen their business acumen, develop life skills, foster a sense of community, all while providing them with invaluable mentorship. Thornhill got his start in the NFL with the Detroit Lions front office before spending more than 12 years as director of player engagement for the Miami Dolphins, where he created the NFL’s first Business Combine. This off-field experience for current and former players made the Dolphins the only NFL team to implement an executive education certificate program for current players. From Lansing, Michigan, Thornhill holds a bachelor’s in human resources and master’s in kinesiology from Michigan State University, an MBA from Nova Southeastern University and completed the Athlete Development Certification Program at Wharton Business School.
Baron will serve as the Spurs shooting development coach after working as head skills coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida from 2020-23. Prior to joining IMG, he spent 10 years running basketball camps and training athletes, while also assisting with a 2016 regional USA Basketball Youth Development Clinic. Baron brings 11 years of professional playing experience, having played in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Lithuania and Russia, winning a EuroCup Championship in 2013 with Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia). Before heading overseas, the Rhode Island native spent four seasons playing for his father Jim Baron at the University of Rhode Island where Jimmy set and currently holds the Atlantic 10 record for three-pointers made (361).
Brannon is entering his fifth season with Spurs, moving to player development after spending last season as San Antonio’s head video coordinator. He spent 2021-22 in the video department as the assistant video coordinator and two seasons as a quality assurance assistant from 2019-21. Brannon coached at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas from 2016-18. The Houston native played at Southwestern Community College and Panola Junior College before spending his final three seasons at Rockhurst University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business communication in 2016. Brannon also worked in basketball camps for the Spurs Sports Academy since 2010, serving as a camp director from 2016 until he joined the coaching staff in 2019.
Trevino will serve as the Spurs head video coordinator after spending last season as the assistant video coordinator. Prior to joining San Antonio, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Austin Spurs after serving as a coaching assistant with Austin in 2019-20. Trevino joined the Spurs organization as a team attendant for San Antonio in 2012, later becoming an assistant equipment manager for the team during the 2016-17 season. The Laredo, Texas, native graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2016.
Harris becomes an assistant video coordinator for San Antonio in his second season with the organization. Prior to joining the Spurs as a video assistant in 2022, he served as a graduate assistant with the Florida State University men’s basketball program, while obtaining a master’s degree in coaching. Following three seasons at Miami University of Ohio and one season at Cleveland State, Harris played internationally for seven years in Argentina, Germany, China and Canada. Originally from Twinsburg, Ohio, he also worked as a camp counselor and coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers Youth Academy from 2016-2020.
Oliver begins his second season with the Spurs as an assistant video coordinator after spending last season as a video assistant. Prior to joining the Silver and Black, he served as the director of basketball operations at UC Davis from 2020-2022 following coaching stints at Clark University (MA), Northfield Mount Hermon (MA), and Glendale College (CA). In addition to his time on the sideline, the Inglewood native played professionally for two seasons in Ireland. Oliver earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri in 2019 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Siena College, where he played four seasons from 2012-2016.
Nicolette becomes director of sport medicine for the Spurs as an associate clinical professor at UT Health San Antonio, bringing more than 20 years of sports medicine experience to the team. Prior to joining the Spurs, he served as executive director of University Health and a team physician at University of California-Berkeley and spent 16-plus years as a team physician and director of the sports medicine fellowship program at the University of Florida. Nicolette returns to the Alamo City after attending University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for medical school, while also receiving medical and sports medicine training at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Alquier joins the Spurs medical team as an athletic performance coach after spending the 2022-23 season as a strength and conditioning coach for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in the LNB ProA French League. Prior to Mets 92, he spent five years (2017-2022) as strength and conditioning coach for Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez also in the LNB ProA French League and has previous experience working with the Pau Orthez youth academy as well as a third division rugby team. In 2015, Alquier graduated from the University of Pau in France with a master’s degree in performance.
Morford joins San Antonio as the team’s soft tissue specialist, entering her 20th year as a high-performance sports massage therapist. Throughout her career, Morford has worked with top-10 Division I swimming and basketball programs, including University of Kansas Men’s Basketball where she was a part of the 2018 Final Four and 2022 National Championship teams. In addition to her collegiate background, she spent seven years traveling with USA Swimming and was invited by the United States Olympic Committee to be part of Team USA’s sports medical staff at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Originally from Lawrence, Kansas, the former Jayhawk attended the University of Kansas prior to obtaining her soft tissue certification.
Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Livers sustained a Grade III left ankle sprain during a pre-training camp workout. Livers is expected to be out approximately 6-8 weeks.
Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
The Portland Trail Blazers have announced basketball operations additions and promotions for the 2023-24 season.
Dr. Evan Ellis will begin his first season in Portland as the Director of Health and Performance. Dr. Ellis has served as the team’s co-physician since 2014 and has served as an orthopedic surgeon at Rebound in Portland. As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ellis specializes in knee and shoulder injuries, sports medicine, cartilage repair, and ACL reconstruction.
Dr. Ellis performed his undergraduate training at the Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was an Academic All-American basketball player. After obtaining his medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. Ellis completed his internship and residency training at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. He then finished his training as a Sports Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. During fellowship, Dr. Ellis was on the medical staff for the St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Blues of the NFL and NHL respectively.
Dr. Courtney Watson comes to the Portland Trail Blazers and will serve as the Head Athletic Trainer after spending the previous 15 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and most recently as the Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer.
Along with her long-time WNBA experience, Dr. Watson also became the first female athletic trainer in the sport of boxing as the trainer for welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather. In the Spring of 2022, the Los Angeles native also served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Women’s USA National Team at the 2022 FIBA World Cup, where the United States brought home a gold medal, making it the third of her career.
Geoff Clark has assumed the role of Scouting Medical Director and will assist General Manager Joe Cronin in evaluating prospective players from a medical perspective as well as assessing injury trends and health best practices around the league. Clark will enter his 26th season with the Trail Blazers.
Dale Boyd has been promoted to the team’s Head Strength Coach. Boyd joined Portland in 2022 as the Assistant Strength Coach and previously holding the same title for Overtime Elite during the 2021-22 season. Boyd has also served as Head Strength and Conditioning coach for the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League.
Jeff Kraayeveld joins the Trail Blazers as an Assistant Team Therapist after serving as an athletic trainer at Rebound Orthopedics & Neurosurgery. Prior to Rebound, Kraayeveld previously did his internship with the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL, and was the athletic trainer for the Portland Lumberjax, a professional lacrosse team.
This season, the Trail Blazers are instituting a Nutrition Department in a brand-new state of the art kitchen led by Hali Foreman, Director of Nutrition/Executive Chef, at the Trail Blazers Practice Facility opening in October. Alongside Foreman, CJ Jackson, Danielle Julifs and longtime team dietician Michelle Tegenkamp will serve the team from a culinary and dietary aspect.
Foreman was hired in May of 2023 to lead the construction of the new kitchen and will oversee the food and nutrition program. Prior to joining the Trail Blazers, Foreman was the Associate Director of Performance Nutrition/Performance Chef at the Utah Jazz. In her nearly ten-year career, Foreman has also worked to fuel multiple championship winning NCAA football teams including The University of Alabama, The University of Georgia and finally Clemson University where she served as the Executive Performance Chef for five seasons.
Jackson will serve as the Chef de Cuisine and will help run the new Culinary Nutrition operation for the Trail Blazers. A native of Detroit and former educator, Jackson has conquered cities such as Atlanta, and Memphis through multiple different culinary ventures. Julifs joins the Portland Trail Blazers in her first season as the Nutrition Logistics Coordinator. Julifs most recently served as the Performance Nutrition Intern with the Cleveland Browns during the 2022-2023 season.
Mark Tyndale has been promoted to Assistant Coach after serving the previous two seasons as Player Development Assistant. Prior to arriving in Portland, Tyndale entered the league as a player development coach with the Toronto Raptors.
The Trail Blazers have also added Pooh Jeter, Gilbert Abraham and Ryan Gomes as Player Development Coaches. In addition to his role on Billups’ staff, Jeter will serve as Assistant General Manager of Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. Jeter spent the past two seasons playing with the G League Ignite, averaging 7.4 points (44.2% FG, 44.9% 3-PT, 92.9% FT), 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 17.3 minutes per game in 28 contests for the Ignite during the 2022-23 season. His playing career also included a stint with the Sacramento Kings in 2010-11 as well as international experience in Spain, Israel, China, France, Turkey and Ukraine.
Abraham comes to the Trail Blazers after spending last season as an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs, the G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. He also most recently acted as the Director of Performance for Tandem Sports and Entertainment from 2021-23. Gomes joins Billups’ staff having acted as a Head Coach at Overtime Elite during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons and an assistant coach with the Long Island Nets, the G league affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, during the 2016-17 season. Prior to coaching, the Waterbury, Connecticut native played eight seasons in the NBA from 2005-2014 and also had brief stints internationally in Spain and Germany.
Additionally, the Trail Blazers have added Eli Kell-Abrams as Head Video Coordinator after spending the previous two seasons as the Head Video Coordinator for the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Kell-Abrams was an Assistant Video Coordinator (2019-21) and a Video Intern (2018-19) with the Miami Heat.