PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers signed former Bryce McGowens to a two-way contract and added the 6-foot-7 shooting guard to their summer-league roster, the team announced Thursday.
McGowens, 21, was a second-round pick (No. 40 overall) in the 2022 NBA Draft and played the past two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He played 105 games over the past two seasons, including 21 starts. Last season, he averaged 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game, shooting 43.9% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
Before signing the two-way deal with the Blazers, McGowens was playing for the Hornets' summer-league squad in the California Classic. In three games, he averaged 18.3 points in 26 minutes per game.
Prior to being drafted, McGowens played one season at Nebraska, averaging 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Cornhuskers. He shot 40.3% from the field and 27.4% from 3 in his lone college season.
The Blazers have now signed two players to two-way contracts this offseason: McGowens and Justin Minaya, who was also on a two-way contract with Portland last season.
In the NBA, two-way contracts don't count against a team's salary cap or their official roster, which is capped at 15 players. Teams can sign up to three players at a time to two-way contracts. Players on two-way contracts can move back and forth between the NBA team and the team's G League affiliate.
