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Trail Blazers’ G League Team Acquires Dillon Jones

October 27th, 2025 at 1:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rip City Remix, the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, acquired 2024 NBA first-round pick Dillon Jones from the South Bay Lakers for two future first-round picks and the rights to Will Richardson, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (Twitter link).

Jones was the No. 1 pick in the G League draft, which was held on Saturday.

The 23-year-old small forward was drafted out of Weber State by Oklahoma City with the 26th pick last summer. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie, but only played 10.2 minutes per night and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

The Thunder traded Jones to Washington in June to clear a spot on their roster. The Wizards waived him prior to their season opener and still owe him $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season, as he went unclaimed.

The decision by the Remix to acquire Jones could potentially mean that the Trail Blazers are interested in adding him to their roster in some capacity. However, they would have to make a corresponding move, since they have a full 15-man roster and all three of their two-way spots are filled.

2025 NBA G League Draft Results

October 25th, 2025 at 3:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2025/26 season on Saturday afternoon. Players who signed NBAGL contracts and whose rights weren’t already controlled by a team were part of the draft pool.

Affiliates from all 30 NBA teams took part in the draft, along with the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes.

Dillon Jones, who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, was selected No. 1 overall by South Bay, which is the Lakers’ G League affiliate.

The 23-year-old small forward was drafted out of Weber State by Oklahoma City with the 26th pick last summer. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie, but only played 10.2 minutes per night and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

The Thunder traded Jones to Washington in June to clear a spot on their roster. The Wizards waived him last weekend and still owe him $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season.

Drafting Jones to South Bay won’t prevent another NBA team from signing him, since holding a player’s G League rights doesn’t mean teams control his NBA rights. However, it will give the Lakers a chance to take a first-hand look at him before potentially offering a standard or two-way contract.

With the second pick, the Osceola Magic selected Tyler Smith, who lost a battle for the Bucks’ final roster spot and was waived last Sunday. The 20-year-old power forward was expected to draw interest as a two-way target, but it doesn’t appear any offers have materialized yet. Smith, who started his career with the now-defunct G League Ignite, was taken with the 33rd pick in last year’s NBA draft.

The Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, had three of the next four picks, selecting Ace Baldwin at No. 3, Nolan Hickman at No. 5 and Cam Carter at No. 6.

Two notable second-generation players were selected in today’s draft. Jamal Mashburn Jr. was taken at No. 8 by the Westchester Knicks, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, whose father Shareef serves as G League president, went to the Stockton Kings at No. 29.

Here are the full 2025 G League draft results:

Round One:

South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Dillon Jones
Osceola Magic (Magic): Tyler Smith
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Ace Baldwin
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Adama Bal
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Nolan Hickman
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Cam Carter
Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Stefan Todorovic
Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jamal Mashburn Jr.
Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ethan Taylor
Raptors 905 (Raptors): A.J. Hoggard
Texas Legends (Mavericks): Kario Oquendo
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Kenan Blackshear
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Vinicius da Silva (Brazil)
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Josh Cohen
Texas Legends (Mavericks): Cearius Warren (St. Thomas University)
Osceola Magic (Magic): Ebenezer Dowuona
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): John Harge (Adams State University)
Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Tray Jackson
Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jaden Seymour
Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Chris Mantis
College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyrin Lawrence
Raptors 905 (Raptors): JP Pegues
Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Olisa Akonobi
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Selton Miguel
Motor City Cruise (Pistons): O’Mar Stanley
Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ben Coupet Jr.
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Des Watson
Stockton Kings (Kings): Jabri Abdur-Rahim
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Carter Whitt
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): J.Z. Zaher

Round Two:

Texas Legends (Mavericks): Sean Durugordon
Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Jermaine Couisnard
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Dischon Thomas
Valley Suns (Suns): Bryce Thompson
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Darius Maddox
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Derrin Boyd
Austin Spurs (Spurs): Pierre Crockrell II
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Markeese Hastings
Maine Celtics (Celtics): Vance Jackson
Texas Legends (Mavericks): Chandler Baker
Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick
Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Onno Steger
Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Donte Ingram
Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Kobe Webster
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Tyler Hawkins (Barry University)
Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jason Hubbard (Taylor University)
Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): T.J. Weeks
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): No pick
Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ahmaad Rorie
Maine Celtics (Celtics): Nicolas Timberlake
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): No pick
Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Franco Miller Jr.
Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ray Harrison
Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Fousseyni Drame
Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick

Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).

G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Tip-Off Tournament getting underway on November 7. The Tip-Off Tournament will be played over about a month-and-a-half and will be followed by the G League regular season, which begins on December 19.

Blazers Notes: Splitter, Billups, Bjorkgren, Lue

October 25th, 2025 at 9:42am CST by Dana Gauruder

Tiago Splitter has been thrust into the NBA spotlight, taking over the Trail Blazers’ head coaching duties on an interim basis with Chauncey Billups on indefinite leave. The circumstances in which Splitter suddenly became the head coach were far from ideal, he told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian and other media members.

“Honestly, a tough moment. But I’ve got to do my job,” he said. “I’ve been in this position in a different level. But also, in a way, looking forward to show my skills and lead a team. So that was a positive part of it.”

Here’s more on the Blazers:

Lead assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren had previous head coaching experience but Bjorkgren told general manager Joe Cronin that Splitter was the best choice to take over, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports. Bjorkgren felt he could best help the team in his current role, running the defense, Shelburne adds.
In Splitter’s head coaching debut, Portland blew out Golden State, 139-119. “I would be embarrassed to sit here and blame fatigue when a team just came out and took it to us. It was about them and their great play,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per Shelburne. “This city is going to really enjoy watching the Blazers. They play hard. They have a real identity. They’re doing a really good job of rebuilding the franchise after the long run with Terry [Stotts] and Dame [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum]. It’s been a rough couple of years, but they’ve used that time wisely and built a really good roster.”
Who are the candidates to replace Billups if he’s not exonerated? Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscription required) looks at a dozen potential replacements, including James Borrego, Mike Budenholzer, and Sam Cassell, among others.
Tyronn Lue has been close friends with Billups for many years. The Clippers head coach said Billups is in good spirits. “Chauncey is my best friend that had to go through something like this, the allegations, his family, my goddaughters,” Lue said, per Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “So, it was a tough day and you never want to see any of your friends go through anything like that.” Lue spoke with Billups on Thursday night. “Just to hear his voice saying that he’s OK, (I could tell) he’s good,” Lue said. “I could tell in his voice if it’s not really good, so he feels good. And that’s all I wanted to make sure of.”
That flies in the face of Billups’ demeanor in court — emotionless with a hollow look in his eyes, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. Billups is normally positive and forthright — one of the most popular former players and current coaches in the league — which makes the allegations against him even more shocking, Quick notes.

Silver ‘Deeply Disturbed’ By Federal Gambling Indictments

October 24th, 2025 at 9:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to Amazon Prime reporter Cassidy Hubbarth during the first quarter of Friday’s matchup between Boston and New York (Twitter video link), commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations in Thursday’s federal gambling indictments, which resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones, among others.

“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said. “There is nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. And so I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”

Word broke back in January that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Rozier as part of a probe into illegal sports betting. Investigators were specifically looking at a game that took place on March 23, 2023, when the veteran guard was still a member of the Hornets.

Ahead of that game, one bettor reportedly placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising alarms about potential suspicious activity. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of under bets on Rozier props. Sportsbooks and the NBA were alerted, and some books stopped taking bets related to Rozier’s performance that day.

After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in 9:34 of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue. All 30 of those “under” prop bets won as a result of the abbreviated outing, and Rozier didn’t play the final eight games of the 2022/23 season due to the injury.

Silver was asked about the NBA’s investigation into Rozier, who was — at the time — cleared by the league to continue playing, despite the suspicious circumstances (stories via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic, and Tim Bontemps of ESPN).

“So what happened was, because bets were placed through legalized legal betting companies, they picked up aberrational behavior around a particular game in March of 2023,” Silver said. “And so it was brought to our attention by the regulators and the betting companies. We then looked into that situation and were very transparent about it. And while there was that aberrational betting, we, frankly, couldn’t find anything.

“Terry at the time cooperated, he gave the league office his phone, he sat down for an interview, and we ultimately concluded there was insufficient evidence despite that aberrational behavior. We then worked directly with law enforcement — as they said at the press conference, the league has been cooperating. That was obviously almost two years ago.

“The federal government has subpoena power,” Silver continued. “[It] can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the league office can’t do. So we’ve been working with them since then. And, of course, what they announced yesterday was an indictment.

“Two and a half years later, he still hasn’t been convicted of anything, in fairness to Terry. Obviously it doesn’t look good, but he’s been put on administrative leave, and so it is a balance here between protecting people’s rights and investigating. And as I said, we’ve been working with the government, and they have extraordinary powers the league office doesn’t have.”

The illegal gambling investigations have overshadowed the start of the 2025/26 season, which Silver acknowledged.

“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with this situation,” Silver said during the in-game interview.

Latest On Arrests Of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier

October 23rd, 2025 at 11:42pm CST by Rory Maher

Although he was not indicted in the illegal sports betting case that resulted in the arrest of Heat guard Terry Rozier, it’s clear that a person matching the description of Chauncey Billups is accused of providing insider information about the Trail Blazers planning to go into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com.

Billups was arrested on Thursday in a separate but related case involving an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia. He was arraigned on one count of wire-fraud conspiracy and one count of money-laundering conspiracy in federal court in Portland and was released under certain conditions, including having his travel restricted to Oregon, Colorado (his home state), and New York (where his trial will take place) writes Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian.

The 49-year-old coach, who has been placed on leave by the NBA, will also be required to pay a “substantial” bond, surrender his passport, is prohibited from contacting his co-defendants and is barred from engaging in any form of gambling-related activities, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link).

Billups’ next court date is November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.

Chris Heywood, the attorney who represented Billups at Thursday’s arraignment, released a statement saying his client disputes the charges. It’s unclear if Billups will have a different lawyer for the actual case, a league source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others,” Heywood said in the statement. “To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.

“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to. Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”

Rozier, who was also placed on leave by the league, faced his own arraignment in Florida today. The 31-year-old had to put up his $6MM mansion as collateral for bond, according to Mike Valente of CBS Central Florida (Twitter link), and was conditionally released under similar stipulations as Billups.

Here are a few more items of interest related to the cases:

While the arrests of Billups and Rozier have understandably generated the most attention, Damon Jones‘ involvement may be the most problematic for the league, a high-ranking team executive tells Mannix. The former NBA guard and coach was allegedly involved in both cases, including for tipping off a bettor about the injury status of a Lakers player that Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirms was LeBron James. To be clear, James has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was unaware of his colleague’s gambling activities, a source tells McMenamin.
Several ESPN insiders and three SI.com authors explain more details of the investigations and the alleged involvements of Rozier, Billups and Jones.
The Magic were mentioned in the illegal betting probe. In a statement to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), the team said it has “no indication that any current players were involved and we have not been contacted by the authorities.”
According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the Heat were unaware of Rozier’s involvement in the illegal sports betting case — which allegedly took place when he was a member of the Hornets — when they traded for him several months later. Miami was also not aware of any NBA investigation into the matter, Jackson adds.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Caruso, Jazz, Nuggets, Johnson

October 23rd, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The sale of the Trail Blazers to Tom Dundon will take place in multiple stages over the next few years, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.

After Dundon officially signed a purchase agreement last month, the expectation is that the sale will close in March and he’ll become the team’s majority owner at that time. According to Schiffer, a second transaction will occur at a later date, with Dundon buying the remaining shares in the team from the Allen estate at that time.

A source who spoke to Front Office Sports compared the deal to the Celtics’ sale, in which William Chisholm took over a controlling interest in the franchise earlier this year but isn’t expected to buy the remaining stake until 2028. This structure had been anticipated for the Blazers’ sale, with reporting on the initial tentative agreement suggesting that the $4.25 billion valuation of the franchise was a “blended” figure based on two separate projected payments.

Dundon and Sheel Tyle, who will be a minority stakeholder in the new ownership group, attended the team’s regular season opener in Portland on Wednesday, notes Jason Quick of The Athletic. The schedule began with a loss to the division-rival Timberwolves, though the team suffered a greater loss on Thursday, when head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested and placed on leave after being accused of helping to rig illegal poker games backed by the mafia.

We have more from around the Northwest:

Thunder guard Alex Caruso entered the NBA’s concussion protocol after Tuesday’s win over Houston and will have to go through the return-to-participation protocol and show he’s symptom-free before he’s cleared to return, per the team (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of SI.com). Caruso will be inactive for Thursday’s NBA Finals rematch in Indiana.
Coming into the season, no team was projected to have a lower win total than the Jazz, so it came as a surprise when they ran out to a 37-point lead in a blowout win over the Clippers in Wednesday’s season opener. Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune shares his takeaways from a memorable start to the season, noting that 2024 first-round pick Cody Williams is out of the rotation but Utah still showed how its youth can be an asset rather than a liability. “We need to reframe that in our brains,” head coach Will Hardy said after his team beat the much older Clippers. “If we’re a little short on experience, we can still be high on energy.”
In an interesting feature story for The Denver Post, Bennett Durando details how the connection between executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace and star guard Jamal Murray is emblematic of the reinvigorated Nuggets, who feel “more like a team,” in the words of Aaron Gordon, following the organizational upheaval which saw Denver part with its head coach and GM with just three games remaining in the 2024/25 regular season. Wallace, whom Durando describes as the Nuggets’ new co-general manager alongside executive VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer, has long had a close relationship with Murray and challenged him to be a more consistent leader this summer. “It’s like, ‘All right, how do you turn up the mental level? What’s the small percentage that makes you a little bit better, that helps you kind of reinvent yourself or unlock another level of your attack?’” Wallace told The Post. “… That was the whole thing behind this summer. ‘I want you to be vocal, because when you’re vocal, you’re engaged, and when you’re engaged, your teammates look to you, and they revere you, and they respect you.’“
Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson learned resilience from his father and by extension his late grandmother. It’s a quality he believes will help him as he works to get comfortable both on and off the court in Denver, Quick writes for The Athletic. Johnson’s new teammates and head coach have nothing but good things to say about him, and are confident the 29-year-old will eventually find his groove in the team’s read-and-react offense. “There is a fine balance between him just fitting in, which he is trying to do right now, and then him also just being himself, and knowing that the guys will be OK with that,” said coach David Adelman. “You know, it’s that way with Aaron and Jamal. They’ll play our way — cut, move and screen — but they will also get into their bag and go one-on-one, and that’s OK because they’re really talented players. I think Cam will get there once he has more experience with these guys.”

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Tiago Splitter Takes Over As Blazers’ Head Coach

October 23rd, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

1:52 pm: The Trail Blazers have confirmed that Splitter will be their interim head coach, issuing the following statement:

“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation. Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”

12:06 pm: First-year Trail Blazers assistant Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in Portland on an interim basis following Chauncey Billups‘ arrest on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Billups is reportedly being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering after being accused of participating in an illegal, mafia-run operation to rig illegal poker games.

Billups was described by law enforcement officials as one of the celebrity “face cards” that organizers used to attract “fish” (potential victims) to the games. He was placed on immediate leave by the NBA on Thursday.

Assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, formerly the head coach of the Pacers, looked like the top candidate to take over as Portland’s acting head coach, as he did last season when Billups briefly left the team for family reasons. However, according to Charania, while Bjorkgren received strong consideration for the position, he decided it was best for him to remain in his current role.

Splitter is in his first season working under Billups, but he has several years of experience as an NBA assistant, having worked in Brooklyn from 2019-23 and Houston in 2023/24, Charania notes (Twitter link). Splitter was also the head coach of Paris Basketball last season and led the club to its first championship in France’s top league (LNB Élite).

Before becoming a coach, Splitter played in the NBA for seven seasons, including five with the Spurs. The former forward/center won a title in San Antonio in 2014.

Splitter’s first game as Portland’s head coach will come on Friday when the Blazers host Golden State.

Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups Placed On Leave By NBA

October 23rd, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups have been placed on immediate leave from their respective teams, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the league said in a statement. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

As we detailed in a pair of stories earlier today, Rozier and Billups were arrested on Thursday morning as part of a pair of separate but related federal investigations into illegal gambling. Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones was also among those arrested.

Law enforcement officials, including U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr., stated during a press conference on Thursday that Rozier and Jones were among six individuals arrested in connection with a scheme to use insider information to make illegal bets on NBA games. Billups and Jones were among 31 individuals arrested in connection with a plot to rig illegal, mafia-run poker games.

A total of 34 arrests were made on Thursday, with three people – including Jones – linked to both investigations. Those arrests are the result of a multi-year, wide-ranging series of probes into illegal gambling. According to Nocella, the NBA has cooperated with the investigations, per Oskar Garcia of The Athletic.

Rozier and Billups are both reportedly being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and will appear in federal court on Thursday in Florida and Oregon, respectively.

Here are several more details on the cases, from the Department of Justice’s indictment:

Rozier is accused of telling co-defendant Deniro Laster that he would remove himself during the first quarter of a game on March 23, 2023, when he was a member of the Hornets, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. According to the DOJ, Laster was paid $100K for sharing that information with another defendant, Marves Fairley. The tip was then allegedly shared with others, with a total of $259K in prop bets wagered by the group on Rozier going “under” several statistical benchmarks. The indictment states that winnings were delivered to Rozier’s home, according to Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic.
According to the indictment, an unnamed co-conspirator told Eric Earnest, another of the defendants, that the Trail Blazers were going into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023 and that a certain player would sit out, according to Vorkunov. While that player wasn’t specifically identified, Blazers guard Damian Lillard missed that March 24 game due to a calf issue and was shut down a few days later for the rest of the season. To be clear, if Lillard was the player in question, it just means that information about his status was shared, not that he was in any way involved in sharing it.
Along similar lines, Jones allegedly informed an unnamed co-conspirator prior to the Lakers‘ game vs. Milwaukee on February 9, 2023 that a specific Laker would miss the game and that the co-conspirator should bet on the Bucks. As Mike Prada of The Athletic writes, LeBron James was ruled out for that game (and, eventually, the next two) due to ankle soreness. Jones wasn’t a Lakers employee at the time, but had access to team spaces, including planes and locker rooms, because he worked with James, his former Cavs teammate, says Dan Woike of The Athletic. James wasn’t aware that Jones was sharing information about his playing status, a source tells The Athletic.
There were also bets illegally placed ahead of a Magic game on April 6, 2023, according to the DOJ (Twitter link via Vorkunov), after one of the defendants who had a relationship with a Magic player learned that Orlando wouldn’t be playing its starters that day.
As for the allegations against Billups, Nocella described him as one of the celebrity “face cards” that organizers used to attract “fish” (potential victims) to play in rigged poker games. The indictment states that the so-called “face cards” in those games “received a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation.” Various technology – including a rigged shuffling machine, X-ray tables, and special eyeglasses – was allegedly used to rig the games.
According to David Purdum of ESPN, prosecutors claimed that Billups helped organize and played in games in Las Vegas in April 2019 that used a rigged shuffling machine. He was also allegedly wired $50K after participating in a rigged game in October 2020.

Chauncey Billups Arrested As Result Of Illegal Gambling Investigation

October 23rd, 2025 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

9:38 am: According to law enforcement officials, 31 people have been taken into custody in connection to a scheme to rig illegal poker games that were backed by several New York crime families, per NBC News.

Prosecutors allege that recognizable figures like Billups were used to lure in victims who weren’t aware that everyone else involved in the games was in on the scam.

“Once the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per game,” said Nocella, who went on to explain that technology like hidden cameras, special contact lenses and eyeglasses, and an X-ray table that could read cards placed face down was used as part of the scheme.

8:10 am: Billups’ arrest is related to an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia, according to Aaron Katersky of ABC News, who reports that the case is separate from – but related to – the illegal gambling case for which Rozier was arrested.

7:34 am: Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been arrested in connection with the federal investigation into illegal gambling, report Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst of NBC News (Twitter link). He’ll appear in federal court in Oregon later today, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

While we’ve known for nearly nine months that Terry Rozier – who was also arrested on Thursday morning – was being investigated as part of a probe into illegal gambling, Billups’ connection to the case is new.

It’s unclear at this point what the federal investigation uncovered that led to the arrest of the Hall of Famer, but according to Winter and Dienst, it’s not related to bets made on games that Billups coached.

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will be joined by officials from the FBI, Homeland Security, and New York City police for a press conference on Thursday at approximately 10:00 am Eastern time to announce the latest developments in the investigation.

Billups was on the sidelines for the Trail Blazers’ season opener less than 12 hours ago. It’s safe to assume one of his assistants will serve as Portland’s head coach when the team faces Golden State on Friday night, with Nate Bjorkgren likely the favorite. Bjorkgren briefly served as the Blazers’ acting head coach last winter when Billups missed time for family reasons.

Billups has coached the Blazers since being hired by the team in June of 2021. He signed an extension with Portland in the spring and is under contract until 2028.

Besides Rozier and Billups, former Pistons sharpshooter Malik Beasley was also being investigated due to alleged illegal betting. According to investigative reporter and podcaster Pablo Torre (Twitter link), Beasley’s fate hinges on today’s announcement. He was previously investigated by the NBA and cleared after the league learned he made “a bet or two on another sport,” per Torre.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Blazers, Conley, Edwards, Thunder

October 22nd, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Tony Jones of The Athletic about the Jazz beginning construction on a new practice facility outside of downtown Salt Lake City, team owner Ryan Smith expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise, despite the fact that its win total has declined in each of the past four seasons.

“I think (new president of basketball operations) Austin (Ainge) is a star. I think (head coach) Will (Hardy) is a star,” Smith said. “I think we have one of the most exciting front offices in the league. We have a lot of picks and a lot of flexibility.”

After racking up 52 victories in 2020/21, Smith’s first year on the job, the club has won 49, 37, 31, and 17 in the years since then, embarking on a full-fledged rebuild during that time. While Smith is eager for the Jazz to begin reversing that trend and climbing back up the NBA standings, he acknowledged he can’t rush the process and has to exercise some patience.

“The picks aren’t coming fast enough for me, but I know this is the NBA. You have to grow the talent,” he told Jones. “We have brought in a lot of people who have a lot of rings. So, the ultimate goal is to win titles. That’s what matters. I understand that’s also the goal of every other team, so it’s really difficult and winning happens rarely. We just have to hit on these picks and keep stacking good decisions. It’s good to have Taylor (Hendricks) back. Walker (Kessler) is coming along. We just have to grow the guys.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link) evaluates the extensions the Trail Blazers completed this week with Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe, dubbing Camara’s four-year, $81MM deal a win-win for the forward and the team, while suggesting that Sharpe’s four-year, $90MM contract represents more of a “calculated risk” for the two sides. As Highkin writes, Sharpe still has All-Star upside entering his age-22 season, but there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll reach that ceiling.
Retirement isn’t a consideration in the short term for Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley, who said ahead of his 19th NBA season that he’s “looking forward to trying to get to 20 and see what happens,” according to Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “There hasn’t been a day that I have felt like I should retire yet,” Conley said within a larger Q&A. “… I think it’ll come to a point where you get kind of overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do in order to stay at par to keep up with these guys, that it just becomes too much. But so far it’s not there, so hopefully we can squeeze a little bit more juice out of this thing.”
In an in-depth story for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski examines Anthony Edwards‘ drive to continue improving and his determination to win an NBA championship after being ousted in the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two years. Edwards is listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s season opener in Portland due to back spasms, per the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
Did the defending champion Thunder peak last season, will they peak this season, or are the best years for this core still ahead of them? Zach Kram of ESPN considers that question, outlining why all three possibilities are viable. Oklahoma City picked up its first win of the season in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, beating Houston by one point in a double-overtime thriller after Thunder players received their championship rings.