Former Blazers Guard Signs With Massive Western Conference Rival

Ricardo Klein | 21 Hours Ago

Mar 31, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Skylar Mays (8) is introduced as part of the starting lineup before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Former Portland Trail Blazers point guard Skylar Mays has found a new home for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Mays has agreed to join the the Minnesota Timberwolves. Senior NBA insider for HoopsHype Michael Scotto shared the news via Twitter/X.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to deals with Skylar Mays and Eugene Omoruyi, sources told @hoopshype. Mays appeared in 38 combined games for the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers last season. Omoruyi appeared in 43 games for the Washington Wizards last season. pic.twitter.com/obZQxudsub

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 16, 2024

EuroLeague club Olimpia Milano was reportedly targeting the former free agent guard. Now, Mays is with one of the best teams in the league.

The Timberwolves are projected to be one of the top contenders in the NBA this season, and Mays will look to play a role.

The 6-foot-3 point guard signed with the Portland Trail Blazers to a 10-day contract in March 2023. Before the 2023-24 season, he signed a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers. As a Trail Blazer, he averaged a career-high 8.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 0.7 steals while shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from deep. 

Mays began his professional career in 2020 when the Atlanta Hawks drafted him in the second round with the No. 50 overall pick. In Nov. 2020, the Hawks signed Mays to a two-way contract, and he split time between the Hawks and their NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. 

Mays played for the Hawks in the 2021 NBA Summer League and signed a second two-way contract with them in late Aug. 2021. Eventually, the Hawks converted his two-way contract into a standard NBA contract at the end of the 2022 season. 

Mays also played 17 games in Los Angeles as a Laker during the 2023-24 season. In early January, Mays signed a two-way contract with the Lakers. The 26-year-old played 4.5 minutes per game and averaged 1.3 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.4 steals while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point land. 

The 27-year-old last appeared with the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers' G league affiliate, at the end of the season in 2024.

The Louisiana native has been in the league for four years, and was a standout guard at Louisiana State University.

At LSU, he was named to the First-Team All-SEC in 2020, Second-Team All-SEC in 2019, and First-Team Academic All-American in 2019 and 2020. He averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from deep. 

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