Greg Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Greg Brown Signs With Ontario Clippers

March 2nd, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Trail Blazers forward Greg Brown has signed a rest-of-season deal with the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, according to Albert De Roa of HoopsHype.

Brown was a highly touted prospect entering college, but his stock fell ahead of the 2021 draft, as he was selected 43rd overall after one season at Texas. The raw, athletic forward only made 16 appearances for a total of 93 minutes this season with Portland.

The Blazers waived Brown to accommodate new acquisitions as part of a four-team trade last month. He will receive his full $1.54MM salary for 2022/23.

In 64 games with Portland over the past two seasons, the 21-year-old holds career averages of 4.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .422/.294/.636 shooting in 11.5 MPG. In four regular season games (27.0 MPG) with Ontario, he has averaged 15.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 2.0 BPG on .375/.280/.750 shooting.

Knicks, Blazers, Sixers, Hornets Officially Complete Four-Team Trade

February 9th, 2023 at 10:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks, Trail Blazers, Sixers, and Hornets have folded two separate trade agreements into a single four-team trade, with press releases from New York and Portland confirming that the deal is official.

The trade combines the Knicks’ acquisition of Josh Hart from Portland with the three-team trade agreement that sends Matisse Thybulle to the Blazers and Jalen McDaniels to the 76ers. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice first reported (via Twitter) that the two deals would be combined into one.

Here are the full terms of the trade:

Knicks acquire Josh Hart, the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic (from Trail Blazers), and the draft rights to Daniel Diez (from Trail Blazers).
Trail Blazers acquire Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Knicks’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the draft rights to Ante Tomic (from Knicks).
Sixers acquire Jalen McDaniels, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick (from Hornets), and the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick.
Hornets acquire Svi Mykhailiuk, either the Hornets’, Hawks’, or Nets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Sixers), and either the Pelicans’ or Trail Blazers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Trail Blazers).

The deal expanded slightly to include the draft rights of three draft-and-stash players, but otherwise looks the same as what was previously reported.

As expected, Portland waived Greg Brown to help open up the necessary roster spots for their incoming players.

For more details on the deal, check out our full stories on the Knicks/Blazers half of the trade, as well as the Blazers/Sixers/Hornets portion.

Trail Blazers To Waive Greg Brown III

February 9th, 2023 at 4:48pm CST by Rory Maher

The Trail Blazers intend to waive Greg Brown III, a source tells Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Portland was very active ahead of the trade deadline, and while the team had an open roster spot, it is acquiring three players for one as part of the Josh Hart deal, so Brown will be the odd man out.

Still just 21 years old, Brown was the 43rd overall pick in 2021 after spending one college season at Texas. The raw, athletic forward has only made 16 appearances for a total of 93 minutes in 2022/23.

Brown was a highly touted prospect entering college, but hasn’t found much success in the pros in his first two seasons. He holds career averages of 4.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .422/.294/.636 shooting in 64 games (11.5 MPG).

Brown will receive his full $1.54MM salary for ’22/23, but his deal was non-guaranteed next season, so waiving him will only affect Portland’s cap for this season.

Gary Payton II Expected To Make Blazers Debut Monday

January 1st, 2023 at 8:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Gary Payton II is expected to make his Trail Blazers debut on Monday. He is not listed on the team’s injury report for their home game against Detroit (Twitter link).

Payton signed a three-year, $26MM contract with the Trail Blazers as an unrestricted free agent in July, then had core muscle surgery during the offseason. Payton was a key rotation player on the Warriors’ championship team and the Blazers anticipate that he’ll serve a similar role behind Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons.

Payton, 30, struggled to find a team that would give him a steady role until he emerged as a defensive force for Golden State. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 71 regular season games, including 16 starts. He also appeared in 12 postseason games, including a pair of starts. Payton also played for Milwaukee, the Lakers and Washington but never appeared in more than 29 games the previous five seasons.

Portland could use the boost, as it used an eight-man rotation in its last game due to illness and injuries. Justise Winslow won’t play on Monday due to a left ankle sprain while starting center Jusuf Nurkic and reserves Keon Johnson and Greg Brown are listed as questionable due to illness.

Trail Blazers Notes: Nurkic, Brown, Offseason Grade

September 19th, 2021 at 10:39am CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic is optimistic about his role on the team after the hiring of Chauncey Billups as head coach, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic. Billups mentioned Nurkic during his introductory press conference, telling reporters, “I want to get more out of Nurk this year. He’s a weapon that most teams don’t have.” The new coach talked about installing an inside-out offense that will take advantage of Nurkic’s low-post scoring abilities as well as the team’s shooting prowess.

It was welcome news for Nurkic, who felt like his relationship with the organization was “fraying” after last season’s playoff loss to the Nuggets, Quick adds. Nurkic wasn’t happy with the way he was used by former coach Terry Stotts and was starting to doubt his future in Portland. He met with Billups after hearing his comments and believes things will be different this season.

“It’s not a question anymore whether I want to be here or not,” Nurkic said. “When the team hired Chauncey and I have a conversation with him and (assistant) Roy Rogers, there was no doubt. I’m 100 percent committed to Blazers.”

There’s more from Portland:

Nurkic has fully recovered from a left thumb injury he suffered in the playoffs, Quick adds in the same story. He hurt the thumb in Game 4 of the series and it continued to bother him into the summer. “I had that thumb thing to take care of, so I did a bunch of shooting to get my touch back,” Nurkic said.
Second-round pick Greg Brown is relying on veterans to teach him about the NBA, notes Casey Holdahl of NBA.com. Brown played alongside Michael Beasley, Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay during Summer League and he continues to seek advice at the team’s practice facility as training camp nears. “We had Larry Nance Jr. come in, I’m excited to see how he thinks about the league, pick his brain,” Brown said. “(Damian Lillard) for sure, CJ (McCollum) for sure, (Nassir Little) — I’ve been knowing Nas since high school, see how his transition is. Everybody has their story and you can pick something from their story and put it in yours to help you move further.”
The Blazers’ offseason gets a C-plus grade from Zach Harper of the Athletic, who says the additions of Nance and Cody Zeller will help the interior defense, but he doesn’t see much improvement otherwise. Harper adds that questions about Lillard’s future will hang over the franchise until the situation is resolved.

Northwest Notes: Barton, Green, Robinson-Earl, Muscala, Brown

August 14th, 2021 at 12:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

In an Instagram video, ESPN’s Bobby Marks broke down two of the Nuggets’ contracts, clarifying that Will Barton is on a descending two-year deal, with $30MM fully guaranteed. He’ll receive $15.6MM in year one and $14.37MM in year two. Keith Smith of Spotrac adds that Barton’s deal includes $1MM in unlikely bonuses in each of the two years.

Marks also outlined Nuggets’ forward Jeff Green‘s new contract, which is a two-year, $9MM pact with $1MM in bonuses. Green will have a player option in year two, as had been previously reported. Marks notes that Green had been on minimum-salary contracts for several seasons, so this contract represents a big win for him and his agent.

We have more news from around the Northwest Division:

While the general terms of the Thunder’s No. 32 pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have been previously reported, Keith Smith provides a breakdown of the exact amount of Robinson-Earl’s four-year deal. The ex-Villanova Wildcat will receive two years at $2MM, fully guaranteed, followed by $1.9MM non-guaranteed in year three, and a non-guaranteed team option of $1.98MM in year four. OKC signed Robinson-Earl using part of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms via tweet that Mike Muscala‘s contract with the Thunder is for $7MM over two years, and adds that the second year is a team option. This will be the third straight season in OKC for the 30-year-old center
Scotto also clarifies the terms of Greg Brown III’s deal with the Trail Blazers. The 43rd pick, for whom the Blazers traded a 2026 second-round pick and cash considerations, will receive a three-year, $4.3MM (minimum-salary) deal, with the first two years fully guaranteed. The final year of the contract will be non-guaranteed. The signing used Portland’s mid-level exception.

Trail Blazers Sign Second-Rounder Greg Brown

August 12th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have officially signed second-round pick Greg Brown to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release.

A 6’9″ forward, Brown was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team during his lone year with the Longhorns. Across 26 games, including 24 starts, Brown averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG, and 0.6 SPG in just 20.6 MPG.

The Blazers entered draft night without any picks in either round, but reached a deal to acquire the No. 43 pick from the Pelicans in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and $2MM in cash. The team used that selection to draft Brown.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Terms of the contract agreement weren’t disclosed, but there’s no indication it’s a two-way deal. I’d expect Brown to earn the rookie minimum or something close to it, with at least one or two years guaranteed. Assuming Portland used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing, a deal that covers three seasons seems likely.

The Trail Blazers now have 13 players on standard contracts, with Trendon Watford on a two-way deal.

Blazers Acquire No. 43 Pick Greg Brown From Pelicans

July 29th, 2021 at 11:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

11:23pm: The trade is now official, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced on the NBA’s draft broadcast.

The Blazers are sending New Orleans a 2026 second-rounder in the deal, tweets Jason Quick of The Athletic. The Pelicans are also receiving cash considerations, as Lopez tweets.

10:53pm: The Trail Blazers have agreed to acquire the No. 43 pick in the draft from the Pelicans, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Portland is using its newly-acquired selection to nab Texas power forward Greg Brown. Portland had no picks heading into the night.

Andrew Lopez of ESPN reports (Twitter link) that the Trail Blazers will be sending out a future second-rounder to the Pelicans in exchange for Brown.

The 6’9″ Brown was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team during his lone year with the Longhorns. Across 26 games, including 24 starts, Brown averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG, and 0.6 SPG in just 20.6 MPG.

The Pelicans continue to add to their war chest of future draft equity with the move. They still will have had multiple selections in this draft when the dust settles, having drafted Virginia guard Trey Murphy with the No. 17 pick and Alabama forward Herb Jones with the No. 35 pick.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Pacific Notes: Ayton, K. Jones, Lakers, Warriors

July 24th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Deandre Ayton, fresh off of his first NBA Finals appearance with the Suns, is eligible for a five-year, $168MM max contract that would kick in at the start of the 2022/23 season, and Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic takes a look at what could be next for the big man.

Ayton’s career lows in PPG and APG were a result more of the context of adding Chris Paul and reorganizing the offense, rather than any regression on Ayton’s end, Rankin writes. In fact, Ayton’s growth as a team-first player willing to do whatever it takes for the success of the Suns adds even more appeal for the club as it decides if it will offer him a max deal.

“If sacrificing is leading the wins and where we are today, I’ll sacrifice everything, you know what I’m saying,” Ayton said. “Everything (Paul’s) told me has led up to here, so why stop now?”

We have more news from the Pacific Division:

Kai Jones, the big man out of Texas, interviewed with Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka at the NBA Combine, and has since worked out at the team’s facility, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The big man out of the Bahamas is a Klutch Sports client who participated in Rich Paul‘s Klutch Pro Day, so the Lakers figure to be very familiar with him. Jones is considered to have one of the widest draft ranges in the first round, as he could go anywhere from the top-10 to the early 20s.
The Lakers worked out six prospects yesterday, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times: Josh Christopher, Joshua Primo, Marcus Zegarowski, Anthony Tarke, Jayvon Graves, and Eugene Omoruyi. Christopher and Primo are potentially candidates for the Lakers’ pick at 22. The Lakers are also working out six prospects today, tweets Goon: Carlik Jones, Feron Hunt, Jeremiah Tilmon, Mitchell Ballock, Greg Brown, and Neemias Queta. The Lakers don’t have a second-round pick but could try to trade into the second round.
The Warriors are bringing back Chris Duarte and Trey Murphy III for second workouts this weekend, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. While the 14th pick may be seen as a slight reach for the two older prospects, either would fit in right away with the Warriors’ needs and could have untapped upside in the team’s system.

Southeast Workouts: Wizards, Magic, Hornets, Hawks

July 6th, 2021 at 7:09pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Wizards worked out six draft prospects today, and there are four more scheduled for tomorrow, according to team announcements. Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey, Texas’ Greg Brown III, and Isaiah Todd, of the G League Ignite, headlined today’s workouts, along with Jay Huff, Blake Francis, and Colbey Ross.

Tomorrow’s slate of workouts will include Troy Baxter Jr., Obadiah Noel, Jamorko Pickett, and Devontae Shuler.

We have more draft workout news from around the Southeast Division:

Corey Kispert, the sharp-shooting senior out of Gonzaga, worked out today for the Magic, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The 6’6″ guard/forward would fill a much-needed role for a Magic team that is well-stocked at some positions but still low on shooters.
The Hornets worked out potential lottery pick Jalen Johnson today, according to a tweet from the team. Johnson had a turbulent year at Duke, and eventually withdrew from the program, but came in with a high pedigree and an intriguing point-forward skillset.
Ruot Monyyong, out of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will work out for the Hawks on Wednesday, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The 6’10 big man was the 2019/20 All-Sun Defensive Player of the Year.