The Trail Blazers agreed to deals with both Alex Reese (Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported Reese’s deal) and Blake Hinson. The expectation, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link) is that both players will be signed to Exhibit 10 deals and then waived, which will set them up to spend the coming season with the Rip City Remix.
Reese, who played collegiately at Alabama from 2017-21, went undrafted and then spent a year away from basketball working as a bartender. He made a remarkable comeback, signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder and earning a spot on Oklahoma City’s opening day roster. He was waived in late October last year before catching on with the Sixers on a two-year, two-way deal.
Reese averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 regular season games with the Thunder and Sixers, 14 of which came with Philadelphia. He was waived this offseason so the Sixers could sign Dom Barlow to a two-way deal.
Hinson went undrafted out of Pitt last year, following a senior season where he averaged 18.5 points per game. Right after the draft, he agreed to a two-way deal with the Lakers. The Lakers waived him and he subsequently signed an Exhibit 10 pact with the Warriors, where he averaged 17.7 points while shooting 44.5% from the field and 36.6% from three in 50 regular season G League games with their affiliate.
The Blazers have 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and two other players on two-way deals. Both Reese and Hinson are eligible for a two-way contract and could theoretically compete for one of those slots, but Highkin’s reporting sounds as if both players will be signed primarily for their G League rights. The Blazers also have reported agreements to Exhibit 10 deals with Sean Pedulla and Andrew Carr, but neither of those are official yet.