Portland Trail Blazers Sign Oklahoma City Thunder Backup Center Brendan Carlson for 2026/27 Season

The Portland Trail Blazers have continued to reshape their roster for the 2026/27 NBA season following their blockbuster trade for Ja Morant. On the night between July 1 and 2, 2026, Portland signed Brendan Carlson, a backup center from the Oklahoma City Thunder, to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, according to ESPN senior reporter Shams Charania.

Carlson, 27, standing 2.13 meters tall, went undrafted in 2024 after playing five years at the University of Utah, where Israeli player Noam Yaakov will join next season. Despite limited playing time behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, Carlson was part of the Thunder’s 2025 NBA championship team. 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 posted 23 points with 12 rebounds and 5 assists, and 26 points with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Portland also recently extended center Robert Williams’ contract for three years at $44 million. Carlson is currently the fourth center on coach Mike Norrie's depth chart, behind Donovan Clingan, Williams, and likely Young Hansen.

Additionally, reports from the U.S. indicate that forward Kelly Oubre Jr. plans to meet with several teams, including Portland. Oubre averaged 14.1 points per game last season with Philadelphia and had a career-high 20.3 points per game three years ago with Charlotte.

Portland’s roster for the upcoming season now includes key players such as Deni Avdija, Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Tomani Kamara, Scott Henderson, Donovan Clingan, Young Hansen, Robert Williams, Vit Krejci, Cedi Sisoko, and Brendan Carlson.