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Trail Blazers Notes: Camp, Yang, Sharpe, Porter, B. Grant

September 28th, 2025 at 2:20pm CST by Rory Maher

It has been an extremely busy and eventful offseason for the Trail Blazers, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who lists five things he’ll be keeping a close eye on when training camp starts this week.

The first item on Highkin’s list is Yang Hansen, the 7’1″ center who was surprisingly drafted 16th overall after largely being projected as a second-round pick. Yang looked more ready to contribute than anticipated during Summer League action, Highkin notes, but it’s hard to read much into that performance — the real tests will begin soon.

While Damian Lillard won’t play at all this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, Highkin is curious to see how the franchise’s all-time leading scorer will impact his teammates behind the scenes. Who will be part of the starting lineup and whether or not Kris Murray or Rayan Rupert can carve out rotation roles in their third seasons are among the other storylines Highkin will be monitoring.

Here are a few more notes from Portland:

  • Within the same story, Highkin says he’s skeptical about the Blazers and Shaedon Sharpe agreeing to a rookie scale extension before the season begins. Although Highkin views the Canadian guard as “the most talented player” on the roster, he writes that Sharpe hasn’t been able to consistently perform at a high level to this point in his career. If the 22-year-old doesn’t sign an extension by October 20, he will be a restricted free agent in 2026.
  • In a story for The Players’ Tribune he wrote in Chinese and then had translated to English, which he’s still learning, Yang describes his upbringing in Zibo (Shangdong province), China, and his journey to being drafted by Portland. One interesting tidbit: Yang says he has been closely studying Nikola Jokic for the past three years and has patterned his game to imitate the Serbian star.
  • The Trail Blazers recently announced several additions and promotions in their basketball operations department. Most notably, longtime Blazers point guard and ex-NBA head coach Terry Porter will serve as a scout this season, while former Blazers forward Brian Grant will hold the title of basketball liaison — he will be an off-court mentor to players. Joe Freeman of The Oregonian, who first reported that Porter and Grant would be returning to the organization in an official capacity, has more details on their specific positions.
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Details On Blazers Sale Lawsuit

September 26th, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Reporting earlier this week indicated that RAJ Sports, which had made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Blazers, had filed a lawsuit against the Cherng family after they joined Tom Dundon‘s new ownership group, citing a breach in an exclusivity agreement.

The lawsuit centers on the relationship between the Cherng family, founders of the Panda Express restaurant chain, and the Bhathal family, which owns RAJ Sports and holds stakes in the Portland Thorns and the newly established WNBA team, the Portland Fire.

According to new details in the lawsuit, reported by Sean Highkin for the Rose Garden Report (subscriber link), the Bhathals allege that the Cherngs – described in the complaint as “longstanding Bhathal family friends” – entered into a “confidentiality and exclusivity agreement” with them once the Bhathals began preparing to make a bid on the Blazers, and were eager to be a part of the Bhathals’ potential ownership group.

The language of the agreement contained the following clause:

“You agree that, for a period of (1) year from the Effective Date, you shall not, directly or indirectly, without [RAJ Sports’] prior written consent: (a) pursue or enter into any agreement, arrangement, understanding, acquisition, investment transaction, merger, or other combination transaction with or involving [the Trail Blazers franchise], any portion of the [the Trail Blazers franchise’s] assets, or any direct or indirect equity interests in the [Trail Blazers franchise], (b) contact, solicit, or attempt to contact or solicit a Transaction with existing or future holders of equity interests in the Teams without [RAJ Sports’] consent, or (c) otherwise circumvent, bypass, interfere with, compete with, or attempt to circumvent, bypass, interfere with or compete with [RAJ Sports] . . . in connection with the Transaction or any similar or related transaction involving the [Trail Blazers franchise], any portion of the [Trail Blazers franchise’s] assets, or any direct or indirect equity interests in the [Trail Blazers franchise].”

Even after it was announced in mid-August that the Allen estate had entered into a tentative agreement with the Dundons, the Bhathal group continued to build its case for winning the bid, believing it could still make a superior offer.

“Those efforts included working feverishly to finalize equity commitments with [RAJ Sports]’s co-investors, including [the Cherng family],” the lawsuit states.

The claim states that in late August, despite previous communication between the lawyers of the Cherngs and Bhathals that everything was proceeding accordingly, the Cherngs’ lawyers reported that they would be “ceasing discussions with your client regarding the transaction.” The suit also claims that Alex Bhathal called Andrew Cherng to directly ask him if he was joining the Dundon ownership group, which Cherng denied.

Weeks later, on September 12, the formal sale of the team to the Dundon group was complete, and the Cherng Family was listed as an investor.

Highkin notes that the lawsuit is aimed only at the Cherng Family, not the Blazers themselves, nor the Dundon group. RAJ Sports has requested a temporary restraining order that would prevent the Cherngs from moving forward as investors in the team, a request that will be heard by a judge in a few weeks.

The next step is a hearing on a temporary injunction against the Cherngs formalizing their investment with the Dundon group. If either were to be granted, the Dundons would either have to wait out the results of the trial process – which Highkin writes could take the entire year – or find a new investor to replace the Cherng family.

If neither is granted, the Cherngs can move forward with their investment, though with litigation underway, it would mark a risk for the Cherngs, who could be forced to pay damages if the judge rules in favor of the Bhathals. Highkin writes that it appears unlikely that, in such a scenario, a judge could undo the finalized sale outright.

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Blazers’ Scoot Henderson Suffers Torn Left Hamstring

September 26th, 2025 at 1:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard Scoot Henderson sustained a torn left hamstring during a workout this week, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

According to the team, Henderson is expected to resume basketball activities in four-to-eight weeks. Portland will provide additional updates on Henderson’s status “as appropriate.”

Crucially, the announcement doesn’t say that Henderson is expected to return in four-to-eight weeks — it’s just when he’ll resume basketball drills. It’s safe to say that, at minimum, Henderson will miss the start of his third NBA season.

A 6’3″ point guard, Henderson was a highly touted NBA prospect who spent two years with the now-defunct G League Ignite prior to being selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft.

Henderson got off to a pretty slow start as a rookie, putting up solid counting stats (14.0 points, 5.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds) but struggling with turnovers (3.4) and efficiency (.385/.325/.814 shooting line) in 62 games (28.5 minutes per contest).

While 21-year-old’s per-36 numbers were quite similar in year two, he showed improvement defensively, took a little better care of the ball, and was more efficient (.419/.354/.767 shooting) in 66 contests, most of which came in a reserve role (26.7 MPG).

The Blazers were already going to be shorthanded in the backcourt after re-signing franchise icon Damian Lillard, who was waived by Milwaukee after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the playoffs, this offseason.

With Henderson out as well, offseason additions Jrue Holiday and Blake Wesley are candidates for more playing time at the point.

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Northwest Notes: Bailey, Blazers, Thunder, Nuggets

September 26th, 2025 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz rookie Ace Bailey has decided to part ways with manager Omar Cooper and is seeking new representation, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic. League sources tell Jones that Bailey and his camp have interviewed potential reps but haven’t yet made a decision on who they’ll hire.

Cooper made waves during the pre-draft process by discouraging Bailey from visiting with or working out for any teams with picks in the top five. The widespread belief, as Jones writes, was that Cooper was trying to steer his client to the Wizards at No. 6, but Utah ultimately drafted him one spot before that.

Cooper is the father of guard Sharife Cooper, who signed a two-way contract with Washington last week.

Here are a few more items of interest form around the Northwest:

  • RAJ Sports, a company run by the Bhatal family that reportedly made a bid to buy the Trail Blazers, has filed a lawsuit against the Cherng family, which joined Tom Dundon‘s prospective Blazers ownership group earlier this month. Jason Quick and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic have the details on the suit, which was first reported by Law360.com. RAJ Sports is claiming that the Cherngs – who own Panda Express – breached an exclusivity agreement and has asked a judge to stop them from buying a stake in the Blazers.
  • Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman passes along some highlights from Sam Presti‘s preseason press conference following a Thunder offseason highlighted by continuity. Presti preached patience when it comes to Nikola Topic‘s integration into the rotation, expressed confidence that Chet Holmgren will “only be better,” and said rookie big man Thomas Sorber was “playing great” before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. “It’s a really tough situation, but he’s got the right mindset. He’s got great natural energy,” Presti said of the 15th overall pick. “He’s going to get something out of this year, 100 percent, and I think it’ll position him well going into next season. But it’s certainly disappointing.”
  • Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) explores what the Nuggets‘ depth chart might look like in 2025/26. While the starters – Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic – seem pretty clear, there could be some spots up for grabs on the second unit, including at point guard, where Bruce Brown projects to be Murray’s backup, and at the forward spots.
  • The Oklahoma City Blue and Grand Rapids Gold – the Thunder‘s and Nuggets‘ G League affiliates, respectively – completed a trade sending the returning rights to Justyn Hamilton to the Gold in exchange for the returning rights to Andrew Funk and a 2026 second-round pick, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com. The deal could be a precursor to Hamilton signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Denver and/or Funk signing one with Oklahoma City.
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Trail Blazers To Sign, Waive Alex Reese, Blake Hinson

September 25th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Trail Blazers agreed to deals with both Alex Reese and Blake Hinson, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter links). The expectation, per Highkin, is that the two players will be signed to Exhibit 10 deals and then waived, which will set them up to spend the coming season with the Rip City Remix.

Reese, who played collegiately at Alabama from 2017-21, went undrafted and then spent a year away from basketball working as a bartender. He made a remarkable comeback, signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder a year ago and earning a spot on Oklahoma City’s 2024/25 opening day roster. He was waived in late October before catching on with the Sixers on a two-year, two-way deal.

Reese averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 regular season games with the Thunder and Sixers, 14 of which came with Philadelphia. He was waived this offseason so the Sixers could sign Dominick Barlow to a two-way deal.

Hinson went undrafted out of Pitt last year, following a senior season where he averaged 18.5 points per game. Right after the draft, he agreed to a two-way deal with the Lakers. The Lakers waived him and he subsequently signed an Exhibit 10 pact with the Warriors. In 50 games with Golden State’s G League affiliate, Hinson averaged 17.7 PPG while shooting 44.5% from the field and 36.6% on three-pointers.

The Blazers have 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and two others on two-way deals. Both Reese and Hinson are eligible for a two-way contract and could theoretically compete for one of those slots, but Highkin’s reporting sounds as if both players will be signed primarily for G League purposes. The Blazers have also reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with Sean Pedulla and Andrew Carr, but neither of those are official yet.

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Jrue Holiday ‘Excited’ About Joining Blazers, Not Thinking About Retirement

September 22nd, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Although one report in June claimed that Jrue Holiday wasn’t thrilled about being traded from Boston to Portland, there has been no indication since then that the veteran guard is unhappy about his new situation. Speaking to DJ Siddiqi of RG.org, Holiday expressed enthusiasm about the coming season and about the talent on the Trail Blazers‘ roster.

“The goal is to win and to make some noise,” Holiday said. “I think that after the last few years of what has happened after Damian Lillard being traded — and then now Dame’s back — I think it’s an exciting time here in Portland. It’s an exciting time to be a Trail Blazer, and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Holiday, who has three years and $104.4MM left on his contract, was traded straight up for Anfernee Simons, who is on an expiring $27.7MM deal. It was a financially motivated move for the Celtics. For Portland, it was an opportunity to bring in a championship-winning veteran to lead by example for the team’s rising young guards, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, who are 21 and 22 years old, respectively.

“I don’t think y’all understand, like, Scoot and Shaedon are so athletic and so smart the way that they play the game,” Holiday told Siddiqi. “They’re going to be so good, and I feel like all they need is time. I feel like the time is now, because they have all the tools. I’m super excited to play with them.”

Holiday won’t be the only veteran mentor for those young guards — Lillard returned to the Blazers this summer after spending two years in Milwaukee, and head coach Chauncey Billups is a Hall of Famer who made five All-Star teams and won an NBA Finals MVP as a point guard. Holiday is looking forward to teaming up with both of them, noting that he admired how Billups played the game.

“I’m old enough to have watched him play,” Holiday said. “He was one of the guys who I wouldn’t necessarily say mirrored my game after. But I felt like I played similar to how he played. He was very smart, he was obviously more than solid on one side of the ball. The way that he thinks the game, I feel like I think the game the same way. … How he controlled the game just from his personality, and you can see as a coach, he’s kind of brought that over from as a player to a coach and instilled it.”

Billups spent 17 seasons playing in the NBA, which will be the benchmark that Holiday reaches in 2025/26. However, asked by Siddiqi how much longer he wants to play, the former UCLA standout suggested that retirement isn’t in his short-term plans.

“Just kind of going with it,” Holiday said. “I’ve been blessed enough to play for this long, and I’ve never taken that for granted. I know this is a dream come true for most young kids, but I know 17 years is a dream come true for any 35-year-old who gets a chance to stay as healthy as possible and to play the game that they love. I’ll just continue playing until I can’t anymore.”

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2025/26 NBA Over/Unders: Northwest Division

September 22nd, 2025 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2025/26 NBA regular season tipping off next month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including BetMGM and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2024/25, our voters went 13-17 on their over/under picks. Can we top that in ’25/26?

We’ll continue our series today with the Northwest Division…

Oklahoma City Thunder

  • 2024/25 record: 68-14
  • Over/under for 2025/26: 62.5 wins
  • Major offseason moves:

Denver Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves

Portland Trail Blazers

Utah Jazz

Previous voting results:

Atlantic

  • New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (63.2%)
  • Boston Celtics (42.5 wins): Over (52.7%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (42.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
  • Toronto Raptors (37.5 wins): Over (50.2%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Over (54.4%)
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Damian Lillard ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ To Be In Portland

September 17th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Damian Lillard had been expecting to play the next two seasons in Milwaukee, but he’s very pleased to be back with the Trail Blazers after the unusual turn of events that ended his time with the Bucks. Appearing on Monday’s episode of The Sideline with Andy Katz (hat tip to Bleacher Report), Lillard talked about how much he enjoys being in Portland again at this stage of his career.

“I’m not an overly expressive person,” Lillard said, “but I think in my adulthood, coming back at here at this time, with the age of my kids, where the team is— they’ve developed and grown over the last couple years— being back where I’ve been for the first 11 years of my career, this is one of the times where I feel extremely happy. Every day I wake up and I’m thankful. I’m waking up seeing my kids, taking them to school. I can just drive down to my mom’s house. I couldn’t be happier.”

Lillard’s connections with the Blazers appeared to end two summers ago when a contentious relationship developed after he requested a trade. He was hoping to go to Miami, but Portland general manager Joe Cronin wasn’t impressed by any of the Heat’s offers. The standoff lasted almost the entire offseason before Lillard was shipped to Milwaukee.

Although he was excited about the prospect of teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo, injuries to both players prevented their on-court relationship from fully flourishing. The Bucks won 49 and 48 games in Lillard’s two seasons with the team – Milwaukee’s worst regular season results since 2017/18 – and lost in the first round of the playoffs in both years.

Last season went off track when Lillard was sidelined in March with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He was able to work his way back for the playoffs, but he suffered an Achilles tear that’s expected to keep him out of action for the upcoming season.

Desperate to find a way to remain competitive, the Bucks made a controversial decision to waive and stretch the final two years of Lillard’s contract and used the extra money to sign free agent center Myles Turner.

“I had surgery, I jumped right into the things that they allow me to do,” Lillard told Katz in describing the recovery process. “The moment that I’m allowed to do it, I do it. And I try to get into it without fear, and also protecting myself at the same time.

“I recently started back running, and I’m four months out. So I’m feeling strong. I’m feeling good about it. But I’m going to take my time to get all the way back, get it all the way healed, get it back strong, feel good on it, get my body all the way back right, so that when I return to the floor I’m not returning as a shell of myself. I plan to return and be myself.”

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Tom Dundon Signs Agreement To Buy Trail Blazers

September 12th, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly a month after reaching a tentative deal to buy the Trail Blazers, prospective owner Tom Dundon has formally signed a purchase agreement, according to reports from Bill Oram of The Oregonian and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico.

Oram adds that the sale, which still requires NBA approval, is expected to formally close before the end of the 2025/26 season. A prior report indicated that a target date of March 31 had been set.

Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and co-CEO of Collective Global Sheel Tyle are among the other investors who are part of Dundon’s group, which intends to keep the team in Portland. A statement on Friday indicated that the Cherng Family Trust – the family trust of Panda Express co-founders Andrew Cherng and Peggy Tsiang Cherng – has signed on as an investor as well.

As Sportico reported in August, Dundon’s group is expected to submit two separate payments as part of its purchase — one when the sale closes and one at a later date. The “blended” valuation of the franchise via those two payments will reportedly be about $4.25 billion.

According to Oram, Dundon and his group beat out a bid from RAJ Sports and the Bhathal family, which controls the Portland Thorns in the NWSL and the Portland Fire, the WNBA expansion team that will make its debut next season.

The Trail Blazers announced their plans to sell the franchise back in May. Paul Allen, the longtime Blazers owner who purchased the franchise for $70MM in 1988, passed away on October 15, 2018, resulting in control of the team being transferred to his sister Jody Allen, the trustee and executor of his estate.

The plan following Paul Allen’s death was for ownership of the Blazers to eventually change hands as part of an estate sale, which is the process that’s playing out now. All estate proceeds as a result of the Blazers sale will be directed toward philanthropy, per the late Allen’s wishes.

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EuroLeague Standout Roman Sorkin Drawing Interest From NBA Teams

September 9th, 2025 at 4:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Maccabi Tel Aviv big man Roman Sorkin, who excelled in the EuroBasket tournament for Israel’s national team, has garnered interest from the Trail Blazers, Knicks and Heat, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.

Sorkin was one of the top bigs in the EuroLeague last season, averaging 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds, and he opened even more eyes in the tournament. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in six games, including a double-double against Slovenia.

Sorkin is no stranger to the U.S., having played four seasons for Oregon from 2014-18. He has played in Israel throughout his professional career.

Whether Sorkin will be able to leave Maccabi is another issue. He reportedly signed a five-year extension with the club last year, which puts him under contract through 2029, according to BasketNews.com. Sorkin would need to have some sort of out clause or buyout agreement to pursue an NBA opportunity.

Portland has 15 players under guaranteed contracts, so it would have to waive or trade one of those players to open up a roster spot.

The Heat only have 12 players with fully guaranteed contracts, but have two players with partial guarantees and can’t sign a 15th man while remaining below the luxury tax line.

The Knicks have 12 players on standard contracts, but only have room for one veteran’s minimum contract and another on a rookie minimum deal due to salary cap restrictions. Sorkin wouldn’t be a candidate for the Knicks’ rookie minimum roster slot. Since they don’t hold his draft rights, his salary would count as the veteran’s minimum for tax/apron purposes even if his cap hit was the rookie minimum, due to tax variance.

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