Yang Hansen’s First Practices, Deandre And Jabari Say Goodbye On The Brief Case, Episode 160

Yang Hansen’s First Practices, Deandre And Jabari Say Goodbye On The Brief Case, Episode 160

Absolutely. And it’s not like he did poorly yesterday at all. He It’s just Yeah, he just took another step in the right direction. So, this is the thing if I have to give him a compliment about the day today is that we threw more things at him, terminology, different plays, and he picks it up just as quickly as you would expect. I like him to pick it up. He’s he’s doing well. He’s doing well. He’s getting used to the pace of the game. You know, he’s getting more comfortable playing with his teammates, and you can see it. You know, he he really is. As I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again. He’s a quick learner. So you’ll see strides. You will see probably a different player in the beginning of summer league towards the end as he gets comfortable. And he’s doing great. Hey Rip City, this is school Henderson and it’s time to open a briefcase with Casey Hold. Greetings pleasure fans and welcome to the briefcase presented by Spirit Mountain Casino. Episode 160 of the briefcase presented by Spirit Mountain Casino. I am Casey Holdall and that was Trailblazers assistant Ronnie Burrell who is handling head coaching duties for the Trailblazers at the Las Vegas summer league talking about the play of Young Hansen in his second practice with the Trailblazers as they prepare to head to Las Vegas later this week. Obviously a ton of interest both nationally and internationally and how Yong is performing in his first days. So we’ll discuss those first practices. will discuss the way that Yong Hansen’s looked in his first couple days with the Trailblazers and the July free agent moratorium has ended, meaning business can be conducted for all teams. Many of those deals that people have talked about for a while have now gone final. Few of those deals haven’t gone final just yet, but I suspect they will very soon. And we’ll also discuss a few of the players who have since moved on from the Trailblazers, primarily DeAndre Aton and Jabari Walker on this edition of the briefcase presented by Sparemount Casino. Well, the Troll Badgers announced their Las Vegas summer league roster on 4th of July, having their first practices the next day on July 5th at the facility in Wallin. Uh Portland some league roster about what you might expect at this point. Um since the team has kind of changed over a little bit, not as many young players on the team as there used to be. And so we’re seeing now that just fewer guys who are under contract at least as of right now for next season on Portland’s roster. You have Real Rupair who is the only player who has actually been on Portland’s roster, at least their official NBA roster, leading the way for the Trailblazers at Summer League. You also have City Soosoko, two-way player from last season. He is also on the roster as well. Yong Hansen, who the Trailblazers selected or at least traded the rights for in the 2025 draft, he will be there as well. Caleb Love, who the Trailblazers signed to a two-way contract, also going to be on the Trailblazers squad. but everyone else outside of that either remix guys or guys looking for contracts. Um, so a a mix of young players, not a whole lot of veteran guys on Portland’s summer league roster. So it’ll be interesting to see how those guys kind of come together. As I mentioned, you have numerous players from from the remix. You have Cameron Tyson, Demetrios Scaped, um, James Bnight as well. So, you know, a lot of guys who are familiar with Portland system, but not exactly players who have played for the Portland Trailblazers, who have had full contracts for the Portland Trailblazers, which, you know, it’s a little bit different after the last couple seasons. You know, you had Chris Murray, Amrian, and Donovan Klingan, and I think a few other guys last season um who were actually on Portland’s roster. this year just fewer of those guys which you know like that allows the team I think to to really throw minutes at the guys that that they want to see kind of develop and also too like you know the the way it goes in Las Vegas a lot of times you you try to play it straight and you know guys get small injuries here and there and at a certain point it just becomes not necessarily necessary to run those guys out there. So um I feel like the Trablers feel very confident about their summer league roster. I think they they feel good about the players they have on it and I think they they feel really good about kind of the way those first practices have gone. I’ve been down in Talton for both those first two practices and just a one a real great energy in the building. Obviously, you got a lot of new players, a lot of new coaches as well. All the new assistant coaches are in town. So, so that’s kind of a new dynamic as well. Uh and then you have Yong Hansen who who’s brought a real different energy and excitement to to the gym. Um, you got, you know, everyone who who’s just getting a chance to kind of watch basketball again into Walton like that. I I I guess what I’m saying is anytime there’s kind of like a layoff and then basketball begins back up down at the practice facility, like it’s always it always feels a little exciting and and I would definitely say that that the first couple days of practice down in Talton have been exciting and uh I think useful. I think they’re getting a lot of stuff done. Um, you know, I’m not going to talk about specifics of anything. I see in practice, but thing, it seems to me that things are running really well. Guys are playing well. They’re not having to like stop and and like correct things and and make sure that the effort is there or the the attention is there. Like it feels like everyone’s really locked in and focused. And you know, I guess that’s part of, you know, when you have a team where you have a lot of guys who are out looking for contracts, you know, I think it it maybe kind of ups that level a little bit because I mean, not that not that contract guys don’t play hard. They do. But, you know, like the difference between a guy who knows he’s going to be on the team next year, at least guy who knows he’s got a contract in the NBA next year compared to guys who are out grinding to to prove that they should not even just get a contract next year, but maybe just get a training camp invite either in Portland or on another team. You know, that’s going to just bring a different level of intensity and focus and competitiveness. And particularly when you have a lot of young players in in your your summer camp roster as the Trailblazers do, you know, and they they’ve kind of vacasillated from back and forth throughout the years from having like kind of more veteran squads and then more more rookie and youthful squads. This definitely falls on the more youthoriented squad the Trob Blazers have had at summer leagues as of late. So I I think it’s there’s been a great energy in the building. Uh I I think guys are are really excited to get back on the court to show what they can do to kind of learn some of their new teammates. uh you have a lot of players who are on the team who are just kind of hanging out the practice facility right now too so they’re kind of coming and going and and watching practices and so it’s always nice to kind of see those guys too. Um you know the Trailblazers a lot of the guys it sounds like are already back in town. That’s not to say they’re going to stay here. I imagine quite a few of them will probably be in Las Vegas to to watch the team. Um but that’s always nice too, you know, just to just to have that that kind of community and that camaraderie that’s important in this time of year as well. I mean, obviously working on your skills and and kind of getting down kind of some of the getting up to speed in in what you’re going to encounter in the NBA, which I think for for Yang Hansen is kind of one of the big things, but just for a for a team in general to just have an opportunity to have everyone in the gym like scheduled, have a reason for them to be there. And then even for those players who are not necessarily part participating in practices, maybe just going through their own workouts, going through weight training, you know, just to have all those guys in the building together, kind of getting to know each other, I I think is always a really good thing early on in your off seasonason. So, it it’s been great to be down to Walton. It’s been great to see how how well the team is coming together early. Uh I’m glad that the Trailblazers only do one summer league, too, by the way. like the teams that like to already have teams playing summerly games like you got the Los Angeles one and the Salt Lake one like I mean Young got to Portland like less than a week ago and there you so like if you had a situation like that where you’re drafting guys and then you’re just throwing them into games right away like I it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me like it it one summer league to me seems like plenty. two summer leagues feels like well I guess you got a lot of young guys you really want to get a look at three summer leagues is like what what are you guys doing like what I mean each individual each organization make your own decisions but to me it feels like that’s that’s real diminishing returns in terms of of kind of what you’re getting out of those experiences I I think Las Vegas summer league works great particularly now that all three teams go which has been the case for the last four or five years and that you know you got great competition uh five six games is just about enough to kind get your feet wet and kind of understand what it is you’re again you’re going to encounter or something sim more similar to what you’re going to encounter in the NBA. And that’s really one of the one of the most beneficial things about summer league is not even just necessarily the actual play at summer league, but doing what you do at summer league and then taking that and saying like, okay, well, these are the things we probably need to improve upon because this is what we saw at summer league. And so that really gives you a little bit of um of an ability to kind of chart your next course in terms of what am I going to work on between now and when training camp starts. And granted, everyone should be taking some some breaks during that time. You know, the guys who have been, you know, who are going through pre-dive workouts like like Hansen, you know, like that’s that’s a lot to to kind of just get thrust into going through all those workouts, then getting drafted and then having summer league practices and then having summer league games. like you got to take some downtime too. But then after that, you know, when you kind of want to start to get back to work in August, you know, it’s good to have kind of an idea of some of the things you might need to work on. And that’s what summerly provides you is a place for you to kind of figure out what are some of the things I maybe need to address before the NBA training camp comes around in midepptember. And, you know, I think the the Blazers are are going to get a good sense of, you know, where’s Ray Repair at right now? And you know, is he someone who maybe we can rely on to play minutes next season? Or is he someone that’s going to still need time to develop? Young Lonson, how far along is he? How how long do we think it’s going to take for him to kind of get up to speed of the NBA game? Do we think he’s going to be able to play significant minutes next season? I don’t really feel like there’s a whole lot of expectation of that at this point in time, but who knows? Maybe you get to summer league and maybe you feel differently after that. Uh, one of the things about summer league about big men, it’s just a not it’s not a great environment for big men. Um, there’s a lot of guards there, a lot of guys trying to show they should make the league. And, you know, a lot of times that will result in players maybe kind of going one direction when they should go the other. I would say that’s kind of the maybe the only real negative about not having a lot of guys who are going to be on the roster next season on the Trailblazer Assembly League roster is that when you have more of those guys, I I generally generally think they’re just a little more calm about the situation because again, they know that like, hey, my next season doesn’t necessarily pinned on whether or not I look good in summer league. like it’s definitely going to be better for me if I do play well in summer league and I would rather do that and it’s going to put me on a better footing going into next season if I do play well at summer league but I’m not playing necessarily for a contract right now and when you have guys who aren’t playing for contracts I think they’re maybe a little more willing to look to their teammates and kind of create for other guys and show kind of some of the other parts of their game other than just raw scoring because you know those are the guys too that have already been in the system and they know what’s expected of them and they know that what is expected of them is not going out and taking 15 shots and trying to score 25 points. Like that’s that’s not what someone who is playing at summer league is going to be expected to do in their first and second seasons. So, you know, it’ll be interesting to see how how all those guys come together. I think it it’ll be a really interesting summer league for the Trailblazers. I I think one just because, you know, figuring out where Yong is in his maturation, I think it’s going to be really important. Uh, I think same for Ron. I think a guy like City Sissoko and Caleb Love, both those guys on two-way contracts. I think both those guys, you know, potentially could be seeing minutes for the Trailblazers next season. I mean, I think, you know, further down the bench. Um, but, you know, definitely a possibility there. So, you know, those are kind of the the main things I’m going to be looking out for. And also just, you know, filling out the the remix roster as well and kind of, you know, wi with a new a new coach this year. you know, they’re they’re uh they’ve switched up a little bit. Uh Sergey is is back to just his assistant general manager duties. Now Jonah is is going to be running uh head coaching for the remix. So just seeing kind of how they decide to play, what kind of players they decide to bring in and what that might mean about the the style of play they’re going to play, what they might be kind of experimenting with next season at the remix, which is one of the the things that the team is most excited about having the remix for is a place to kind of work through some some ideas about what might work in basketball. You know, I think those are those all make for a really interesting summer league for the Trailblazers, even though they don’t have a ton of guys who are going to be on the roster next season on their roster for Las Vegas. Obviously, one of the big stories for the Trailblazers at summer league, one of the big stories internationally at summer league is Young Hansen. Uh, obviously being selected with the 16th overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft. Bit of a surprise there. And, uh, so I think people really kind of want to see what he’s got. And, you know, he gets talked about as the the Chinese Jokic initially after the he gets selected. uh we we prefer to make a bonus uh comparison here on the uh the briefcase, but uh obviously a a lot of interest in in Young both national or domestically and internationally and in his first couple practices. You know, I I think he he’s comported himself really well. Uh I mean, you know, the obviously there there’s a there’s a few things that play when you when you talk about Young and and kind of what he’s going to encounter in his first days with the Trailblazers. First off, obviously the most obvious one is the language barrier. Uh I I think it, you know, I I’m sure you guys, if you’re watching this, you have probably watched Yang’s uh media availability from the first day of practice. And uh I I imagine he’s probably communicating more in English with his teammates on the court than he is with the media. You know, we’re asking very detailed questions and it’s probably a bit e and I’m sure his his understanding of English in terms of basketball terminology is higher than his his conversational English, I think, at this point. So, I I don’t think it’s probably as much of an issue on the court as it is in in the the post uh practice media session. And it’s really it’s not an issue there either. Um his translator, Chris, is doing a great job. Uh and I think a lot of us just kind of also need to figure out kind of the best way to approach those situations just to make sure that, you know, everyone is is understanding each other and getting the best out of each other. But, um you know, I I do think on the court that has probably not been much of an issue. Uh, I felt like I could already tell a big difference from the first day to the second day in terms of kind of communication and, you know, knowing where you’re supposed to be and your teammates and like I I’ve seen multiple interactions with him, conversing with teammates and having, you know, what looked to me like discussions about kind of what they’re going to do when they’re playing five on five. So, I I I think that that is probably resolving itself faster than than I think probably anyone would would maybe figure it would. Um, but then the other piece too is just the the fitness piece. And you know, Yong had said, you know, I think kind of his first comments about his first practice was that, you know, it’s fast and like I need to get faster and and I need to to be more prepared to play at a different pace that they play in here in the NBA compared to what I I was, you know, encountering in the CBA. And I I mean even take the CBA out of it. Like guys have been going through workouts obviously for a while now. But you know a workout setting where you work out for maybe like 45 minutes you know do some drills you know maybe play some three on three you know go through testing that’s a lot different than a two and a half threeh hour practice you know and particularly your first two and a half three-hour practice that you’re going through to get prepared for summer league with a whole bunch of young guys as well. And so, you know, I think probably those first practices are, you know, you do have to to acclimate a bit to those. And I’m guessing that that Young is experiencing that right now. Um, but looking really good while he’s doing it. And then again, in the second day, like I I thought he, you know, he looks more comfortable already. And I think that there’s I I think his progression is going to be pretty fast. And that’s not to say that like he’s going to come out and and and set the summer league on fire. I I’m not saying that at all. But what I’m saying is that it does seem like, you know, all of what we’re hearing is that he’s picking things up really fast. Ronnie Burrell talked about that that, you know, he’s really he’s really quick on the uptake and and is really coachable and really seems like he understands what’s being asked of him a lot quicker than I think you might expect from someone whose English is, you know, still a work in progress. U you know, you’re going to hear from from both Ray and Caleb Love here in a second talking about playing alongside him. I think guys really enjoy playing alongside him in in these early goingings. I I think he’s just got a great personality as well and like I I think he’s excited to be in Portland, excited to play. Um and so I just think all of that together makes for kind of a fun environment for a bunch of young guys who are kind of making their way or trying to make their way in the NBA. Um he’s hitting shots too. I think, you know, he was he was shooting some threes after practice on Sunday and uh nailing all those too, like which everything that I’ve seen, you know, and kind of the the workouts that I’ve seen with Yang, like hitting shots left and right and and you know, obviously there’s between guarded and not guarded. But when you’re 7-1 and can hit threes fairly consistently, even without somebody guarding you, pretty good chance, particularly as a 20-year-old, that you’re going to be able to get to a point where you can do that with a hand in your face as well. So, um, I I think it’s been a a really solid few days of practice for Yong Hansen. I I think that, um, you know, he’s obviously, like any young player, going to to endure ups and downs, and there’s going to be, you know, hard times, but I think there’s going to be times when he looks really good, too. And, you know, I think even kind of, you know, some of the the little highlight packages that we’ve been able to put out from the first couple days of practices, I I think, again, he looks I I think I guess what I’m saying is my my first takeaway from from from Hansen is that he looks fluid. like he doesn’t look like a plotting 7 foot one center. Like he looks like he he he moves really well. Like he he gets up and down the court well. I think obviously fitness is going to be something he’s going to have to work on like any big man. I think I mean we saw that with Donovan Klingan and he had won backto-back championships at Yukon, you know. So, like it it’s particularly for guys that size at that age, like it it just takes a little bit of time to to kind of get up to speed with with what it takes to to kind of be in NBA game shape. And no concern whatsoever about Young getting there. Um, I think by the end of summer league, he will probably already be there, if not before that. So I I think you know the fact that he’s he’s moving well and is able to to communicate with his teammates and coaches. He’s not getting frustrated when you know like I was thinking about it his first media session you know they they initially had planned to have I think like an hour hour and a half practice I think it went almost like two and a half three hours you know so he goes through the entire practice his first in the NBA with an NBA team you know he’s trying to keep up he’s got his translator with him so he’s he’s taking instruction from the coaching staff he he’s also getting parts from the translator as well you know and then he’s answering questions questions from the media which were peppering him with questions in his non-native tongue and he’s trying to answer in English and also, you know, trying to express himself the best he can. Like I could see that being an incredibly frustrating situation or day and he seemed like he was having a great time with it. So I I I think you know just one being able to to get up and down the court and look fluid doing it I think is a really good sign. Two, his fitness is already making strides and I think that’s a really good thing as well. And three, he’s not getting frustrated. Like it it seems like he he’s he’s got the right approach. He he’s got the the right mentality. And you know, guys in that situation, you could see like, you know, you’re you’re playing your first NBA games, like you’re you’re practices and you’re trying to to keep up and you’re trying to do everything right. You’re trying to impress, but you know, you’re you’re only able to pick up some of the stuff and then you’re getting some of the stuff for secondhand from from your interpreter, translator. And again, I I could just see that being a difficult situation. And it seems like he’s doing a really good job with it. So, uh, a couple really good days, a good start for Yong Hansen, and, uh, hopefully, um, we’ll just see him kind of progress more and more and more as, uh, the run to summer league goes on. As I mentioned, first game on Friday versus the Golden State Warriors, uh, 8:00 p.m. start time on that one. Uh, all the games also there, I think the first two games are on ESPN 2, then ESPN, and then NBA TV. All those games are also going to be on KUPN and Blazer Vision. The first game will be tape delayed. So if you want to watch that one live, uh you might need to go to ESPN for that. But all the other games will be live on KUN or KU NP and on Blazer Vision as well as on ESPN and I think the last game was on NBA TV. So a lot of opportunities to watch those games. I I I know I think I had mentioned that initially they were trying to get some of that stuff figured out in terms of of where those games would would land. They are going to be on 2.2 too, which is great. Um, so if you have cable, you’ll be able to watch the games on ESPN. If you don’t have cable, you’ll be able to watch the games on KUPN, which is what you should be doing anyways. And if you have Blazer Vision, you can already watch the games on Blazer Vision on your computer, on your phone, on your tablet, wherever you get your Blazer games. So, you know, um, a good a good summer league. And also too, you know, if you haven’t been, I’ll just say one more time, you know, the Blazers playing Saturday, Sunday at Summer League. both those night games like you fly in uh Saturday morning or Friday morning, catch the Blazers first game, have a good time Friday night, rest up on Saturday morning, go to the Trailblazers game Saturday night, and then maybe even take a redeye back to to wherever you’re headed on Saturday night or leave first thing Sunday morning. Everyone’s got flights leaving Las Vegas on Sundays. So, um head on out to uh the Summer League. It should be a good time. Uh and if you can’t do that, check it out on KUNP and Blazer Vision. You’re definitely not going to want to miss Yong Hansen’s first games as a trailblazer. So, go ahead and check those out if you can. And if you can’t figure out a way to real quick, let’s go ahead and hear what Ron Rupair and Caleb Love had to say about the first interactions with Yong Hansen. Just real quick clips here. Um, but I felt like it was important to to kind of just get out there what some of the other people who have been around Hansen have said about playing with him. Um, you know, it’s easy enough for the coaches to kind of talk about it. I think everyone’s going to be supportive, but you know, it seems like his his teammates as well have also been really impressed. So, here’s what Ron Ruper and Caleb Love had to say about their first days playing alongside Young Hansen.
He’s great, you know, he’s a great presser. Uh, he’s running very fast. I was pretty surprised and yeah, he has a great footwork. He’s very good. You know, he’s going to be great, I think. How How is it kind of communicating with him? Obviously, you’re French, he’s Chinese, a lot of team is American. like how how did that kind of go in the first day?
Uh I think it’s a adjustment for everybody but it’s great you know he’s try to to speak English so that’s great you know and he has this trajectory with him every time so it’s pretty easy honestly.
You going to try to learn a little bit of Chinese?
Yeah I forgot every time. Uh I learn to say like hello but every time I forget.
Was there any specific plays during the practice where his passing really stood out to you? Maybe like a back door pass or anything like that? Uh about
Anen. Uhhuh.
Yeah. Every time he has a ball u on the wing or to play end off, stuff like that. Every time you cut from the baseline, from the corner, you can get the ball. You know, he’s a great person. So, I love it.
Oh, man. He’s he’s great, man. You know, uh you know, just communicating with he’s always got great energy and um you know, obviously it’s a language barrier, but uh we trying to make it as simple as possible for him and um you know, just continue to you know, make things easier for him. But, you know, he’s talented. You know, he got the good great footwork. um touch around a basket. Um he’s a great playmaker and um it’s easy to play with him.
Well, there you go. Some good stuff there from both Rion and Caleb. Uh I think both those guys are going to play huge roles uh for the Trailblazers at summer league. Uh I think you’re going to see Rion handling the ball a whole lot for the Trailblazers. Same for Caleb Love. Uh, and then, you know, I think you’re going to see them really trying to get kind of Yong Hansen involved in things and maybe kind of creating uh because, you know, I think obviously one of the reasons why they’re really excited about the prospect of of bringing in Hansen is because of his passing. And so, you know, I think we’re we’re going to see that hopefully early in in summer league. And, you know, I think you know, who cares about wins and losses at summer league? Seeing those guys, the guys who particularly are going to be on the roster next season, how well they’re able to kind of play alongside each other, I think it’s going to be really interesting. All the more reason to head out to Las Vegas to check out the Las Vegas Summer League if you can. And if not, check out those games on KUMP and Blazer Vision. Well, if you’re not able to head to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Summer League, that doesn’t mean you can’t have great casino action because you can do that in Highway 18 and Grand Run at Spare Mount Casino. great games, great hotel, and great entertainment, including an unforgettable evening with country legend Tanya Tucker, who takes a stage performing her iconic hits like Delta Dawn, Strong Enough to Bend, Would You Lay With Me in Field of Stone, Two Sparrows in a Hurricane, Love Me Like You Used to, and Bring My Flowers. The opening the opener for that show is her niece, Callie Tucker, who brings her unique blend of country and pop with songs such as Country Couture, Urban Cowboy, and Dandelion. You don’t want to miss a special Aunt Niece showcase of country music greatness. 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Um, but technically teams are not supposed to kind of discuss those things until they are made official. And now they are official. Trailblazers have not signed any free agents, just two-way guys. And Hansen, who they signed last week, uh, the only business you can conduct, I believe, is signing two-way players and signing your own rookies. Um, so that was done last week. Tribes haven’t signed anyone since the moratorum ended, though a few players have moved on. most uh notably DeAndre Aton uh as I’m sure you know uh and then the Trailblazers were actually able to announce that as well. DeAndre Eaton and the Trailblazers agreed to a buyout uh reportedly DeAndre given about back about $10 million of his salary so he can go and become a free agent. He has since signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, I believe two-year deal with a with a third-year player option if I’m not mistaken. Uh all the best to DeAndre. Um really enjoyed working with him in Portland. Uh he did a really nice job of of being a great guy in the locker room and kind of ushering along some of these young players. Was always super supportive with the young guys. Um I I really enjoyed the the time we had with DeAndre and you know I I think he he filled a valuable role for the team. like he he kind of bridged that gap between kind of Dame moving on and kind of what was next and you know he he did it with a with kind of a great spirit and you know some you know sometimes things kind of went up and down with DeAndre and that’s you know going to be the case with any player from time to time but just in terms of of kind of what he was able to do for the Blazers in the locker room especially um I I just really respect you know DeAndre coming in and conducting himself the way he did I thought he played really well too. I think, you know, the the Lakers obviously have a, you know, they’re they’re a bit further along than than the Trailers were when DeAndre joined. So, uh, I’ll be real interested to see kind of how that works out for him. I think, you know, DeAndre having a guy like Luca Donett, you know, looking to get him involved is definitely going to be a a positive thing for for DA. Um, and you know, for him to be able to for him to kind of give some of that money back, which which you know, reportedly has allowed the Blazers now to to access the full mid-level exception, which I believe is somewhere a little north of $14 million in free agency should they choose to do that. You know, that’s that’s not nothing, you know, and you know, he I think you know, he could have probably played harder ball with that and just been like, “Hey, I want all my money or I want more than that.” And I think the Blazers probably would have would have kind of granted that. But the fact that they’re able to get to a number that everyone felt good about that allowed the Blazers to get something and also allowed DeAndre to kind of continue on with his career, I think is that’s just good business, you know, and I I think it shows that, you know, Joe Cronin has gone out of his way when possible to to really kind of do right by the players who come to Portland. And, you know, sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t. Uh but for the most part it seems like Joe has really when when players have come to him and asked for things and you know he has generally worked with them and and and tried to to do his best to to kind of satisfy their their desires while also you know putting the the needs of the of the Trailblazers front center as well. So um you know all the best to Deandre. He actually did have a a little poster I’m going to read real fast. Uh Rip City, thank you. I appreciate you all for welcoming me and my family. I truly enjoyed my experience engaging with such a proud fan base and beautiful community. Big ups to my teammates, y’all, the realist, entire coaching staff. Thank you for your leadership. I appreciate going to battle with y’all. Thank you to everyone in the front office and staff from the facility to the arena. I’m grateful to every one of you for being a part of the journey at Trailblazers. You always have a special place in my heart. Thank you so much, DeAndre. Uh all the best to DeAndre as well. Well, I I hope he has a lot of success with the Lakers, at least when they’re not playing the Trailblazers. Um, and again, a guy too where, you know, I just DeAndre is who he is. Just he gets a bad rap, man. Period. Full stop. Like people, you know, he can be kind of goofy, you know, he can be gregarious, but end of the day, DeAndre is a is a good person who I think cares about other people and wants his his teammates to be successful. And, you know, that’s that ain’t nothing. And there’s plenty of guys in the NBA who aren’t like that. So, you know, I think that you really hats off to DeAndre. I thought he I thought he was great in Portland. I really enjoyed working with him and uh I I wish nothing but the best for him. That goes quadruple for Jabari Walker, uh who was not retained by the Trailblazers, didn’t extend the qualifying offer. He became a free agent. And since Jabari has signed a two wheel two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, I think that’s a great landing spot for Jabari. I would have loved to have seen him get a full contract, but you know, those those are pretty tough to come by. And in the NBA today, teams are are really being careful about, you know, kind of where they’re they’re putting their money and the guaranteed contracts they’re they’re they’re handing out. So, you know, I I’m just glad that that Jabari did get a contract. I think, you know, that 76ers team is going to I think he’s going to do a great job there. I know their G-League team is important to their franchise as well. So that’s useful for Jabari and uh just a guy too that you know getting taken with the second to last pick. Uh comes in the summer league and no one really expects a whole lot of anything. Jabari comes out and has one of these best summer league performances of any Trailblazer that I can recall in the 20 years that I’ve been going to the Las Vegas summer league now. So he he uses that as a springboard to get a full contract and and then to you know play three seasons with the Trailblazers. I again I I I think Jabari is a great guy. I think he’s got a spot in this league. Uh, you know, he’s going to be one of those guys where, you know, you’re never there’s never not a reason to have Jabari on your team. Like, he’s he’s a great dude. He works hard. Um, he does a lot of the things that you want players in that position to do. Um, you know, there there’s still room for growth. You know, if Jabari can can develop a a really solid three-point shot, you know, he’s going to be able to to stick in this league for a long time. but just a guy who has a nose for the ball, as a hard worker, a rebounder, an offensive rebounder. Um really improved his finishing around the rim during his time in Portland, and just a really good kind of spirit about him and a guy too, you know, the the son of Samaki Walker. And I I think, you know, Tom Habstro has done some really interesting work on this in terms of of of players who are who are the children of NBA players and how they generally do fairly well. I think that Jabari, I think he’s just 21 or 22, still has a still has a a super long runway and and and a guy who I I feel very confident is going to have an a very strong NBA career. So, all the best to Jabari also wrote a nice little little uh message to Portland Trailblazer fans. So, I’ll go ahead and read that to you real fast as well. Thank you for three of the most meaningful years of my life. You all took a chance on a young kid from Inglewood, California, and gave me an opportunity to live out my dream that I’ve held since I picked up a basketball. To the front office, the coaches, the staff, my teammates, thank you for embracing me from the very beginning and helped me grow as a professional during my time here. And to Rip City, man, thank you. You all showed me nothing but love since I got here. I’ll never forget the energy, the memories, and what it meant to wear Portland across my chest. Now, on to my next chapter. Again, I I think it just goes to show too that, you know, guys have really been enjoying their time in Portland. And, you know, I I think Joe and his staff have done a really good job of kind of building the culture here in Portland and and making it something that’s inviting and and and beneficial to players. like I I I think players really feel like they can come to Portland and get better and and are treated respectfully and are given an opportunity to to show what they can do and are really beloved by the fan base and to to y’all watching and listening like I mean that’s really a lot about you. I mean, the those two statements from both Jabari and from from DA, I mean, those are those are really about Blazer fans and the way that they treat players when they get to Portland, and y’all have done a fantastic job with that. And I know that players really appreciate it like, and that’s not the way it is in every market. So, you know, the fact that the fans, you guys have been really holding up your end of the bargain in terms of of being supportive and and uh just just being welcoming to players as well, I think that’s really important. And I think, you know, that that pays dividends. I think, you know, players hear that from other players and and I think going forward, you know, anytime that your organization can be kind of considered a place where where you have strong fan support, you know, that’s something that that means something to players. And I think more and more now as we’re seeing kind of those decisions getting a little bit tighter now. And I think guys, you know, are probably having to make decisions less about money now and maybe more about fit and and what might work for them. I I think you know a team like the Trailblazers that is I think is really establishing a profile as a strong front office that really cares about their their players. I think that that will uh that will pay dividends going forward for the Trailblazers. Um one last thing too in terms of of kind of some of the reported deals um that have not yet since been announced. Uh I imagine those are going to happen pretty soon. I I have no reason to believe that there’s anything have gone sideways with any of those deals. I just think it’s an order of operations thing and uh maybe just waiting to kind of take a deep breath or take a breath and then kind of onto the next things. So, you know, I I don’t think that I don’t necessarily think anything’s been expanded and I don’t think anything’s been negated. It’s just, you know, I think they’re they’re going to wait for just a little bit longer before they announce those things officially, but they are going to be announced officially. And that’ll do it for this edition of the briefcase. Thank you so much for joining me. as always. Maybe another edition before we head out to Las Vegas, but if not, additions when I arrive in Las Vegas for the Trailblazers 5game run at Summer League. I will be there for almost the entire time. I’ll be there for at least the first week. Uh and then, you know, we’ll see how it goes. If there’s any reason to extend the stay, perhaps I’ll do that. If not, I’ll just come back to Portland and uh finish uh watching the games at home like a lot of y’all will be doing. But I will be in Las Vegas. We’ll be covering practice. We’ll be covering games. We’ll have interviews with players right here on the briefcase from summer leagues. You’re definitely going to walk in, like, subscribe. As of right now, wherever you’re at, wherever you get your podcast, wherever you get your YouTube videos. I’m assuming YouTube, but I don’t know, maybe it shows up somewhere else. What do I know? Either way, thanks so much for joining me. As always, you’ve been listening and watching the briefcase. I am Casey Holdall. Go Blazers. [Music]

On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses…

• The Trail Blazers announce their summer league roster and begin holding practices in preparation for their five-game run (at least) in Las Vegas

• Assistant coach Ronnie Burrell’s thoughts on Yang Hansen’s first practices as a Trail Blazer

• Yang Hansen deals with a faster pace and overcoming language issues in his first two Las Vegas Summer League practices

• Yang Hansen’s teammates give their first impressions of playing alongside the rookie center out of China

• Portland’s summer league games airing locally on KUNP and BlazerVision

• The July moratorium is over, meaning teams can now officially agree to free agent contracts and trades

• Deandre Ayton and Jabari Walker say their goodbyes

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