Blazers Sign Center Olivier Sarr to Two-Way Contract

Sarr has an opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation as a backup center.

In a move that was widely expected after this week's camp cuts, the Trail Blazers are signing second-year center Olivier Sarr to one of their two open two-way spots. The signing was first reported by ESPN.

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Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

The Portland Trail Blazers are converting center Olivier Sarr to a two-way contract, source tells ESPN. Sarr played 22 games for OKC as a rookie after college stops at Wake Forest and Kentucky.

Oct 13, 2022

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Sarr, a native of France who played for the Thunder last season, made the most sense out of Portland's camp invites to stick around on a two-way contract, given his size and the Blazers' lack of depth in the frontcourt. He played solid minutes in a few of Portland's preseason games where their regulars sat and will likely have a real chance to compete with Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford for the backup center minutes behind starter Jusuf Nurkić.

Despite being only one of two NBA teams without their own G League affiliate, the Blazers have made good use of two-way contracts in the past. Watford entered last season on a two-way deal and played well enough after the midseason roster teardown to have his contract converted to a standard NBA contract in late February. Since the Blazers have few options at center beyond Nurkić, Sarr will certainly have an opportunity to play.

Portland now has 15 of 17 possible spots filled on the roster, with one open two-way spot and one open roster spot. The roster spot is almost certain to be left empty going into the season but could be filled down the road; the two-way spot could be filled soon as players come available in the wake of league-wide camp cuts before the season begins on Tuesday.