Trail Blazers Sign Center John Butler to Two-Way Contract
The Blazers shored up their frontcourt depth on Monday evening.
The Trail Blazers have shored up their frontcourt depth by signing former Florida State center John Butler to their second open two-way contract spot, as first reported by The Athletic.
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The Portland Trail Blazers plan to sign former Florida State product John Butler on a two-way NBA contract, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium. The 7-foot-1 big man spent summer league and preseason with the Pelicans and now lands a roster spot. | |||
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Oct 18, 2022 | |||
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Butler went undrafted in June after his freshman season at FSU and was originally signed to a two-way deal with the Pelicans following Summer League, but was waived. For whatever it's worth, ESPN's predraft rankings, which were done in part by Mike Schmitz before he took a job in May as an assistant GM under Joe Cronin, pegged Butler as the 16th-best power forward in the class and 67th-best overall prospect.
Butler's Summer League stint with New Orleans was highlighted by a game in which he scored 25 points on 9-of-9 shooting including hitting all six of his three-point attempts.
Unlike most two-way signings, Butler will likely have an opportunity to earn real minutes due to Portland's thin frontcourt rotation. The other center they recently signed to a two-way deal, Olivier Sarr, is currently out with a wrist injury, but before he got hurt, he was poised to compete for backup center minutes behind Jusuf Nurkić, alongside Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford.