Portland Trail Blazers Sign Oklahoma City Thunder Backup Center Brendan Carlson

The Portland Trail Blazers have continued to strengthen their roster for the 2026/27 NBA season by signing Brendan Carlson, a backup center from the Oklahoma City Thunder, to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million. Carlson, 27, who stands 2.13 meters tall, went undrafted in 2024 after playing five years at the University of Utah, where Israeli player Noam Yaakov will compete next season. Despite limited playing time behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Carlson contributed to the Thunder's 2025 NBA championship.

Carlson is currently fourth in the Blazers' center depth chart behind Donovan Klingen, Robert Williams, and likely Young Hansen. Over two NBA seasons and 74 games, he averaged 4.9 points in 9.9 minutes per game. Notably, in the final two regular-season games, he scored 23 points with 12 rebounds and 5 assists, and 26 points with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, respectively.

Earlier the same day, Portland extended Robert Williams' contract for three years at $44 million. The Blazers' roster for the upcoming season now includes key players such as Deni Avdija, Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jerami Holiday, and others.

Additionally, reports from the U.S. indicate that forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who averaged 14.1 points per game last season with Philadelphia and had a peak average of 20.3 points three years ago with Charlotte, plans to meet with several teams, including Portland, potentially adding to the Blazers' offensive options.