DECEMBER 26: The Blazers have officially signed McGriff, according to a press release from the team.
DECEMBER 25: The Trail Blazers intend to sign forward Cameron McGriff to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, agent Keith Kreiter tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). McGriff is being called up from the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate.
McGriff, 24, went undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2020 and played for Belgium’s Okapi Aalstar last season, putting up 13.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG. With the Hornets’ NBAGL team this season, he has averaged 10.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG on .455/.364/.846 shooting in 14 games (22.4 MPG).
The Blazers had avoided this month’s league-wide COVID-19 outbreak up until Friday, when they placed two players – Dennis Smith Jr. and Trendon Watford – in the health and safety protocols.
With Smith and Watford in the protocols, Portland is eligible to sign two replacement players. As a two-way player, Watford must be replaced by someone with no more than three years of NBA experience, so McGriff fits that bill. If the Blazers want to sign a replacement for Smith, any free agent would be eligible.