Rookie Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath has finally achieved his long-held goal of having NBA security, as the he and the team have agreed to terms on a standard three-year contract.
The deal, which was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, will keep him with the Blazers through the 2025-26 season.
Reath, who at 27 years old is in his rookie season in the NBA, and the Blazers have likely known this was coming. League rules dictate that a player on a two-way deal can play in a maximum of 50 games with their NBA team. Reath has already appeared in 40 games for Portland this year – and with Robert Williams III out for the remainder of the season – Reath has fully assumed the Blazers' backup center role.
Duop Reath had a long journey to the NBA before landing with the Blazers. Born in South Sudan and raised in Australia, he played two seasons at LSU before going undrafted in 2018. After stops in Serbia, the NBL, China, and Lebanon, Reath joined Portland on their 2023 Summer League roster. He was waived just before the season, but then signed a two-way contract with the Blazers on Oct. 24.
On the season, Reath is averaging 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He's shown the ability to stretch the floor, shooting nearly 39 percent from the 3-point line on 3.6 attempts per game. Earlier this season, head coach Chauncey Billups said that he has told Reath he needs to be aggressive in looking for his shot off the Blazers' bench.
“I've been on him about needing to rebound and being better defensively. Also telling him, ‘If you're not shooting when you're out there, I don't know what advantage you give us. You've got to see what you got. You've got the opportunity; you've got to shoot it.' So, he took full advantage of it.”
Said Reath after being told of Billups' comments in late December, “Just understanding my role. Understanding what I'm good at, what I'm not good at. I think that shooting the ball is something that I can do, so he just encourages me to do what I know I can do.”
Terms of the deal weren't immediately available.
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