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De’Aaron Fox Signs $229 Million Max Extension With Spurs

2025-08-04T12:38:52-07:00

Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images

Four years and a whole lotta cheese.

San Antonio Spurs star De’Aaron Fox has agreed to sign a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

In the fall, Fox is entering the final season of a five-year, $163 million contract he originally signed with the Sacramento Kings. With the new extension, the one-time NBA All-Star avoids entering unrestricted free agency next summer, and he’s now on San Antonio’s books through the 2029-30 season. The deal includes no player option in the final season, Charania reported.

The Spurs acquired Fox from the Kings in February in a three-team deal that also included the Chicago Bulls.

In 62 appearances for the Spurs and Kings last season, Fox averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 46.3% from the field and 31% on 3s.

Fox appeared in 17 games for the Spurs before he underwent season-ending surgery on March 18 to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie.

Mentorship Isn’t Easy in the NBA or Elsewhere

2025-08-04T10:21:33-07:00

Photo by Amanda Loman/Getty Images

Scoot Henderson and the Blazers may be in for an interesting year.

Your favorite Portland Trail Blazers podcast is back for another episode this week! When last we met via Trail Daddy, the Blazers had yet to sign Damian Lillard. Now the franchise’s highly-publicized star is back in the fold. In this episode site manager Dave Deckard talks about the ins and outs, with a focus on the off-court benefits (or at least presumed benefits) of Lillard’s reemergence. In particular we address issues of mentorship. When does it work well? How can it be problematic? What are the pitfalls that Lillard, fellow veteran Jrue Holiday, and emerging point guard Scoot Henderson will have to negotiate in order to make a mentoring relationship work...if that’s even what this is all about in the first place? It’s an interesting discussion in the shadows of basketball and institutional life, we hope you enjoy it.

You can download the podcast here or wherever finer shows are shared. Or just click play on the embed below! Leave a positive rating or review if you care to!

Enjoy the show!

Blazers Center Donovan Clingan Dubbed Promising Sophomore

2025-08-04T10:13:57-07:00

Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Yang Hansen isn’t the only center in Portland.

Yang Hansen made a huge cultural impact in Portland and across the NBA when the Trail Blazers selected him 16th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. The move eclipsed Portland’s former center darling, Donovan Clingan, taken 7th in the 2024 draft. Not everyone has forgotten about the Connecticut grad, however. Jeremy Woo of ESPN listed ten promising NBA sophomores, putting Clingan fifth on his list.

After citing Clingan’s rookie stats (6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game) and his defensive promise, Woo explained the buzz surrounding the center:

The Trail Blazers seemingly cleared the way for Clingan and draftee Yang Hansen to share time at center next season — Robert Williams III is still around, but could make sense as an eventual trade candidate on his expiring contract. It will be interesting to see how those minutes ultimately get divided based on performance. Clingan is deserving of the lion’s share but also needs to improve his conditioning to handle bulk minutes. The fact that he started the final 27 games of the season is probably a fair indicator that he’s up next.

As an aside, whether the Blazers experiment with Clingan and Yang together in double-big lineups will be something to watch. On paper, that fit is clunky, but considering Portland’s apparent long-term investment in both players, there’s at least some argument for finding out what it looks like. All things considered, Clingan is due for an expanded role and could solidify himself as one of the NBA’s better interior defenders in short order.

Clingan ranked just above second-overall pick in 2024, Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards. Reed Sheppard of the Houston Rockets topped the class.

What are the Blazers Building Towards?

2025-08-04T10:06:49-07:00

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Portland has a young core, but is it distinct?

The Portland Trail Blazers finally have a young core worthy to build around but the distance between them and contention is still large. That’s the conclusion reached by Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton of ESPN as they detailed goals for all 30 NBA teams in the coming year. They analysts broke up the league into tiers ranking everywhere from “all-in on a championship” to “all-in on nothing”.

The Blazers ranked among five teams classified as “building around young cores”. Their companions were the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs. The explanation of Portland’s position:

The Trail Blazers now have a large collection of young talent — Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen are all under 25 — that they’re hoping to grow with after acquiring veterans Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard this summer. It does remain unclear what shape the roster will take as that talent sorts itself out.

The authors seemed more bullish on the Spurs, Pistons, and Hawks than Portland. At least the Blazers graduated beyond the “two timelines” category just beneath, which included the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Philadelphia 76ers. That’s not to say Portland is better than those teams, but a unifying direction has been missing in Rip City for a while now.

At the bottom of the list lie four teams in the “all-in on nothing” category: the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Toronto Raptors. Somewhat embarrassingly, the Phoenix Suns sit below all of them, in a singular category described as “all-in on 2024”.

Blazers Get Another Middling Grade for Offseason Moves

2025-08-04T09:55:04-07:00

Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images

Do you look at Portland with your head or your heart?

As almost all Portland Trail Blazers fans know, Rip City has been full of flashy, splashy moves this summer. The Blazers traded with the Boston Celtics for veteran guard Jrue Holiday, selected Chinese center Yang Hansen in the 2025 NBA Draft, and then signed former franchise superstar Damian Lillard after the Milwaukee Bucks let him go. The names on the reader board could hardly be bigger, a welcome sight after years of relative inactvity.

Gauging how much these moves actually affect Portland’s on-court prospects is a little more difficult. Analysts and experts have been measured in their approach. That continued today as The Athletic published offseason grades for all 30 NBA teams [subscription required]. The Blazers received a C, with a summary written by long-time Portland media member Jason Quick:

If this offseason was about intrigue and heartstrings, the Blazers would get an A. But when it comes to basketball moves, Portland’s summer was a curious and confusing exercise. Signing an injured Damian Lillard healed fans’ wounded hearts. The surprise draft of Chinese center Yang Hansen at No. 16 has the look of a fun project, and the trade for aging Jrue Holiday and his $100-plus million contract is palatable if the Blazers were on the cusp of contending … but they are not. How Lillard fits into the Holiday-Scoot Henderson point guard rotation in 2026 is a big question, and so too is how soon Yang can contribute. But no question is bigger than the one left by the trade of Anfernee Simons to Boston: Do the Blazers have enough shooting?

The average grade is typical of those offered by other sources. It’s hard to find anyone who’s upset about Portland’s progress this summer, but it’s equally hard to find anyone overly excited about it.

Damian Lillard Gave VJ Edgecombe an Assist

2025-08-03T16:52:16-07:00

Photo by Zach Barron/NBAE via Getty Images

Lillard was early to recognize Edgecombe’s talent and provided some needed support to the young guard.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe caught Damian Lillard’s attention early, and Edgecombe credits the Portland Trail Blazers star with helping him after a rocky start to his college career at Baylor University.

On a recent episode of “Podcast P with Paul George,” Edgecombe explained the story and how his relationship with the nine-time NBA All-Star began. Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, said he attended Lillard’s camp for high school prospects and noticed that no matter how many games were going on simultaneously, Lillard was at his court watching. Edgecombe would go on to earn MVP honors at the camp and Lillard’s number in his cell phone.

That contact would become important after Edgecombe’s first game in college at Baylor. It didn’t go well: Four points, one assist and three turnovers in 29 minutes. But Lillard and Edgecombe got in contact after the game, as Edgecombe explained on the podcast.

“Bad first game. He was like, ‘Bro, you know what you can do. You can’t let one game carry on for the next couple games because in college you only get so much.’ I just took that advice and ran with it. Forgot about the first game. Ever since me and him have been locked in. That’s my dog.”

As a bonus, we get some talk with Edgecombe and Paul George about the shot. You know the one. 2019 NBA Playoffs, Damian Lillard sends Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder home with a game-winner from deep, right in George’s face. Co-host Dallas Rutherford asked Edgecombe if it was a good shot or bad shot, a reference to George calling it the latter at the postgame podium. Edgecombe answered “that’s a good shot” to much amusement and proceeds to give a thoughtful answer as to why. Most interesting perhaps was Paul George’s response.

“I know how elite he is, his range. Obviously, he could shoot that sh*t effortlessly. I wasn’t coming off or trying to be a hater on that, specifically. It was just it was a bad shot in terms of like, I felt, clock’s running down, and I’m at his mercy. You know what I mean? Like he got the last shot, six, seven seconds left on the clock. Try to get something closer or work like, he could have drove me back and took a three-pointer closer in. So that was the only thing that I was like, ‘It was a bad shot.’ Because of time and possession.”

The whole clip is six and half minutes and worth a listen.

Watch: Scoot Henderson Works Out Versus Lonzo Ball

2025-08-03T16:28:50-07:00

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images

Henderson took on Ball and overseas pro Milan Acquaah in an extended run of one-on-one.

Another summer workout video showcasing Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has hit the feed.

Professional trainer Chris Johnson posted the latest video to his YouTube page on Saturday. It shows Henderson going through one-on-one battles against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball and overseas pro Milan Acquaah. The games of one-on-one take place from different spots on the floor, make-it-take-it style, and the offensive player has five seconds to get a shot up; the first player to score five points wins the round. Just think of it as a high-level game of King of the Hill.

Johnson is coaching the players through the four rounds shown in the 26-minute video. Two-time NBA champion point guard Rajon Rondo is also on the court handing out pointers.

The drill allows viewers to get an unfiltered look at Henderson working on all three levels of his scoring arsenal: at the rim, from the midrange and behind the 3-point line. It also gives the 21-year-old guard a chance to showcase his craft and creativity to get the shot up — not to mention the on-ball defense aspect of the drill. After each player wins one round, Henderson claims a decisive second win in the fourth and final round.

Just like the previous workout video of Scoot that Johnson posted in July — and unlike the usual workout tapes of NBA players that get released — the footage in this latest video is uncut, so viewers get to see the mistakes and misses from each player, along with the successes and makes.

How Scoot Henderson Can Impact Winning for Portland

2025-08-03T09:56:45-07:00

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

All eyes on Scoot as the pressure builds in Portland.

“Pressure is the single mom trying to scrape together rent. We get paid a lot of money to play a game... to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.”

That was Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard back in 2017. And while his words ring true in many ways, pressure in the NBA is very real — it just looks different. No, it’s not life or death. But constant expectation, national scrutiny, and the weight of performance? That’s pressure too.

In today’s social media-fueled era, players are picked apart daily. Whenever someone defends them, the counter is always: “He makes millions — he can handle it.” But pressure isn’t measured in salary. It’s measured in spotlight.

Few young players have felt that more than Scoot Henderson. From the moment he was linked with Victor Wembanyama, the hype was real. Most scouts said he’d be a No. 1 pick in any other draft. But after Lillard’s trade before training camp, the weight of Portland’s rebuild landed on Scoot’s shoulders immediately. Every mistake stood out. And wearing #00 didn’t exactly lower expectations.

Now entering Year 3, we’ve seen flashes of what made Scoot so highly touted — but it hasn’t been easy. With veterans like Jrue Holiday and Dame back in the fold, plus the rise of Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, Portland no longer has time to be overly patient.

So the question heading into 2025-26: How will Scoot Henderson prove he belongs in the Blazers’ long-term vision?

Scoot’s play relies heavily on having the ball in his hands. Whether it’s scoring, finding the open man, or running in transition — #00 needs the rock. Yet as we’ve seen on nights when his shot isn’t falling or the turnovers pile up, his impact can quickly shift from positive to harmful.

One thing that doesn’t disappear with a cold shooting night is defense — and Scoot has all the tools to thrive on that end. Built like an NFL running back with elite speed and agility, he has the physical makeup to become a high-level two-way guard. What he needs now is to sharpen the mental side: staying disciplined on the ball, navigating screens more cleanly, and staying focused off the ball. With better awareness and consistent effort, Scoot can become the kind of defender that sets the tone, not just reacts to it. Elite defenders in Camara and Matisse Thybulle are now joined by one of, if not the best, defensive point guards in the last decade, Jrue Holiday. Scoot has a complete and full network to grow this side of his game.

Development isn’t linear, and Scoot is proving that with time and experience, the talent that made him a top draft pick is starting to show. I still expect offensive growth and a potential breakout season with the ball in his hands, but adding consistent defense to his game will elevate not just his ceiling, but more importantly, raise his floor as a future elite NBA point guard.

The pressure will ramp up again soon — especially with Lillard expected to return in the 2026-27 season. So whatever keeps Scoot’s stock trending upward within the organization, even if it’s the gritty, unglamorous work, will be critical. Next offseason could bring some major decisions, and how Scoot performs this year will weigh heavily on those choices.