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Michael Scotto: The Orlando Magic will hire Ronnie Burrell as head coach of their G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, league sources told HoopsHype. Burrell was previously an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets. He also was the G League Coach of the Year in 2023.
Shams Charania: The Phoenix Suns are signing center Duop Reath to a deal, sources tell ESPN. With Mark Williams (shoulder) sidelined for several months, the Suns add the former Portland Trail Blazers big man for frontcourt depth on the roster.
Vincent Goodwill: Adam Silver on the Portland situation: “I would see it as a failure if we did not keep the team in Portland.” “At the same time…We need a state of the art arena (in Portland).”
Sean Highkin: Blazers media day will begin at 9am on Monday 9/28 with GM Joe Cronin, president of business ops Dewayne Hankins, head coach Micah Nori and most players expected to speak. Will be live streamed as usual.
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In Portland, this is the situation regarding Deni Avdija, who is coming off his first All-Star season with averages of 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 46.2% shooting from the field. As much as he has thrived with the Trail Blazers, they are not in a position to extend his contract after the conclusion of his current deal, which only has two years and $24 million left. "The Blazers are kind of a sinking ship. They are not setting themselves up to preserve the cap space they're gonna need to renegotiate and extend Deni Avdija," said insider Sam Quinn on the 'Third Apron' podcast. "Deni will make $11.875 million in 2027-28. The most he can get in a veteran extension is a 140% Year 1 raise, or $16.625 million. That's MLE money. He's not taking that. To pay him fairly, they'd need cap space to renegotiate and extend him."
Your lead assistant coach Micah Nori is gone (to be a head coach in Portland). Finch: Micah of course; the staff changes have happened as well. But the tentpoles (Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels) are still here. And we like that. But I think it will be good to take those guys back to the beginning, too. And they’ve got to be part of the journey and impart more knowledge, understanding and expectation. And hopefully that lifts the accountability piece for everybody. Just getting LaMelo to understand how we do things and the urgency with which that needs to happen. I’m kind of excited about that dynamic and watching it play out. I’m excited about kind of putting myself forward again. I’ve spent the last few years trying to lean into the development of coaches giving everybody a voice, kind of growing together, giving everyone a role.
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Keith Smith: Trade Mechanics: 🏀Taj Gibson will have $200K of his contract guaranteed. That way he and AJ Johnson's contracts match salary for Jordan Hawkins. 🏀MEM will bring Micah Peavy in via the $4.3M Ja Morant TPE.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets and Peyton Watson were nowhere close to a contract agreement. Watson’s side had asked for north of $25 million annually at the outset, believing him to be worth more than Braun, who was coming off his worst season. Both sides began to explore sign-and-trade options. Denver took calls from the Clippers, Bucks, Hawks and Trail Blazers. Nothing gained much traction. Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez was floated in preliminary talks with Milwaukee, but those conversations were entirely conceptual — the Bucks never made an official sign-and-trade offer, league sources said. Denver would’ve been intrigued by the possibility of adding him if an offer had materialized.
South Korea's men's basketball 'ace' Lee Hyun-jung continues his challenge to enter the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has accepted a contract at the minimum salary level. Lee Hyun-jung's agency, Epic Sports, announced on September 7 that he signed an 'Exhibit 10' contract with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2026-2027 season. 'Exhibit 10' is a one-year non-guaranteed contract with the lowest salary level. It does not guarantee a spot on the official roster. However, it allows participation in the team's training camp to prove his skills. Even if he does not make the final roster, he can earn a separate bonus by completing a set period with the team's G League (NBA's secondary league) affiliate. This is a common path for players aiming to enter the NBA.