Intriguing Details Revealed on Devonte Graham's Contract With Blazers

Can Devonte Graham crack the rotation?

Matt Levine

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One of the more interesting moves from the NBA offseason this summer was the Portland Trail Blazers coming to terms with free agent guard Devonte Graham. Terms of the agreement aren't known but the contract is for only one season.

However, we do know one part of the deal with the Trail Blazers. According to insider Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, the contract for Graham with Portland is not guaranteed.

Graham was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this offseason before being waived. His $12.65 million contract for next season was only partially guaranteed before he was eventually cut loose into the open market.

The former second-round draft pick has been on four teams since entering the league in 2018. His biggest issue has been consistent shooting.

With the Spurs last season, Graham only shot 30.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line. This was the lowest percentage for him since his rookie season, likely causing him to be moved and ultimately waived.

For the season, Graham only averaged 5.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He appeared in 23 games for San Antonio, playing only 13.6 minutes per contest.

Portland likely grabbed Graham to be a veteran mentor for some of the younger players on the roster. The team has been rumored to at least be considering moving on from guard Anfernee Simons so Graham could be a backup plan if a trade were to happen.

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Much like Malcolm Brogdon last season, Graham could play the role of a leader for this young team. Portland also has Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson in the backcourt entering the season.

Sharpe and Henderson will need minutes to continue developing so some sort of trade may be coming from the Trail Blazers. It's a fairly crowded backcourt for Portland, making the signing of Graham a little questionable.

Graham's best season came in the 2019-20 season while with the Hornets. He averaged 18.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. The veteran guard also shot 37.3 percent from 3-point land.

If he can average around 10 points a game, this could be a complete steal for the Trail Blazers. He could help Portland be more competitive this season while also potentially giving them a nice trade chip at the trade deadline.

The signing of Graham is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move for Portland. With it being only a one-year deal and non-guaranteed, the Trail Blazers can feel good about the move, no matter what happens.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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