Blazers Add Former Thunder Guard Javonte Cooke on Exhibit 10 Deal
As training camp approaches, the Portland Trail Blazers are continuing to shape their roster. According to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian, the Blazers have signed former Oklahoma City Blue point guard Javonte Cooke to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract.
Cooke is now competing for a two-way contract with Portland. Two-way players alternate between the NBA team and its G League affiliate, which in this case is the Rip City Remix.
Cooke Seizing His Big Opportunity
Standing at 6-foot-6, Cooke has spent the last three seasons in the G League with Oklahoma City’s affiliate and the Iowa Timberwolves, the G League team of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Over his career, Cooke has played 88 games across these two teams, starting 55 of them.
Last season with the Blue, Cooke posted strong G League averages of 16.7 points per game on .433/.329/.667 shooting splits, along with 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
After making his way through a Division II NCAA career at Winston-Salem State and Mars Hill, Cooke is now vying for NBA minutes. His performance in the Summer League for the Miami Heat this past summer was solid, averaging 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over five games.
An Opening for Cooke in Portland’s Camp
Portland’s two-way slots are currently occupied by shooting guard Sidy Cissoko and undrafted rookie Caleb Love from Arizona. This leaves an opening for Cooke to potentially earn a spot.
His main competition includes undrafted rookie point guard Sean Pedulla, formerly of Ole Miss, and big man Andrew Carr, also undrafted, who played at Kentucky. With the Blazers already having a number of guards on their 15-man roster and two others under two-way contracts, Carr may have the edge for the final available spot. Cooke, however, will have the chance to prove himself during training camp.
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