Report: Trail Blazers signing former LSU star to new deal
The Trail Blazers are keeping rookie forward Trendon Watford in Portland. On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Blazers are inking the former LSU star to a new four-year, $5.8M deal to keep him in Portland.
“ESPN Sources: The Portland Trail Blazers are signing two-way rookie forward Trendon Watford to a new four-year, $5.8M deal that’ll include two non-guaranteed seasons,” tweeted Wojnarowski. “Blazers are also waiving guard Dennis Smith Jr., who is out several weeks with an elbow injury.”
While Watford celebrates, former first-round pick point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is on the outs. Once a highly-touted prospect, he’s never been able to find his footing in the NBA. Now, the former NC State guard will be on another team in the near future.
As for Watford, it’s evident he’s made an impact on the Trail Blazers during the 33 games he’s played in. On the season, the former LSU star is averaging 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists a game. Additionally, he gets on the court a decent amount, coming in off the bench for 12.6 minutes per game.
While plenty of questions linger regarding the future of the Trail Blazers, Trendon Watford isn’t going anywhere. The former LSU forward will be playing in Portland for the foreseeable future.
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While Trendon Watford will be in Portland for an extended period of time, the Trail Blazers moved one of their best players at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline. In a huge deal, the Blazers traded guard CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans.
In Cleveland for the 2022 MTN DEW Three Point Contest, McCollum stated he still hasn’t spoke to his team’s star, forward Zion Williamson.
“I haven’t had conversations with him directly,” McCollum said, via CBS Sports. “I’ve spoken with some people close to him and look forward to sitting down with him sooner than later. I know about as much as you do right now, but I’m gonna get to the bottom of it.”
Hopefully, McCollum and Williamson gel — for the sake of New Orleans. While Williamson hasn’t been able to get on the court, McCollum was one of the most consistent players in the league for the Blazers.
Nevertheless, the Trail Blazers are moving on — surrounding star Damian Lillard with younger talent, like Trendon Watford. Time will tell if they made the right decision for the future of their franchise.