Portland Trail Blazers Reportedly Sign New Center
Duop Reath initially went undrafted out of LSU in 2018.
During his final season with the Tigers, he averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 54.4% from the field and 42.2% from the three-point range.
This summer, the 27-year-old was a free agent, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he will sign with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Via Wojnarowski: "The Portland Trail Blazers are signing free agent center Duop Reath on a one-year deal, sources tell ESPN. Reath was a starter for the Australia in the World Cup and played for the Blazers' summer league team. He played at LSU and has had stops in Serbia and China."
This past year, Reath played for the Qingdao Eagles in the CBA and averaged 18.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest while shooting 45.0% from the field and 33.2% from the three-point range in 39 games.
During Summer League with Portland, he averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest while shooting 47.7% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point range in five games.
As for the Trail Blazers, they are coming off a year where they were the 13th seed in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record.
They had a talented roster led by superstar point guard Damian Lillard but were unable to make the NBA playoffs (or the play-in tournament).
The franchise has now missed the NBA playoffs for two straight seasons, and the future of Lillard remains uncertain heading into the 2023-24 season.
