Source: Trail Blazers Bringing Back Ibou Badji on Two-Way Contract

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trail Blazers shuffled the end of their roster on Wednesday, waiving guard Jamaree Bouyea from his two-way contract and filling the open two-way spot by bringing back center Ibou Badji, a league source confirmed. ESPN first reported Badji’s signing.

Badji spent most of last season with the Blazers on a two-way contract, but did not play a minute. He played with the Blazers at Summer League in Las Vegas and spent all of training camp with them. He was waived before the deadline to finalize opening-night rosters and replaced by center Duop Reath, whom the organization viewed as more ready to contribute in the short term than Badji. Reath has become the Blazers’ primary backup center since Robert Williams III underwent season-ending knee surgery.

After being waived by the Blazers, Badji rejoined the Wisconsin Herd, the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League team, who held his returning-player rights from his time there last season.

A native of Senegal, Badji became the first player from the NBA Academy Africa program to sign a contract with an NBA team. When he makes his Blazers debut, he will become the first player from that pipeline to play in an NBA game.

If you weren’t a subscriber last year, I wrote about his journey to the NBA:

Inside Ibou Badji's Groundbreaking Journey From Senegal to Portland

A lack of size has been the Trail Blazers' biggest roster issue all season. Behind the scenes, they've been working to fix it in future years. Meet Ibou Badji, the 7-foot-1 20-year-old from Senegal with a nearly 7-foot-9 wingspan who came to Portland shortly into the season on a two-way contract. Badji is as raw a prospect as the organization has ever had—he's only been playing basketball for six years and took an unconventional path to the NBA that began at a league-sanctioned youth academy and passed through lower-level Spanish leagues and the G League before his raw physical talent and upside landed him in Portland on a developmental deal. The Blazers are making a bet that the work they're putting in with him now will pay off as soon as next year.

The Rose Garden ReportSean Highkin