Portland’s last move before the start of the season

The Portland Trail Blazers had a busy weekend leading up to the 2025-26 season opener. They locked down several key members of their core contract extension with Sheddon Sharp and Toumani Carmara. NBA teams had a deadline this weekend to trim their rosters to the league-mandated maximum, and teams also began are finalizing their rosters for the start of the season. The Trail Blazers have made the final move to sign a contract player, according to Michael Scott.

The Trail Blazers the latest move of the list signed Javonte Cook to a two-way contract. With Cooke’s signing, the Blazers now have all three spots filled for a two-way contract. Cook joins Sidney Sissoko and Caleb Love as the Blazers’ three selected players on two-way contracts.

Under the two-way contract, Cook will be allowed a maximum of 50 NBA games and will be ineligible for the playoffs if the Blazers enter, unless his contract is eventually converted to a standard deal. Cooke will likely spend most of the season in the G League with the Rip City Remix.

Cook’s journey to the NBA is remarkable with an unconventional path. Cook played his entire collegiate career in NCAA Division 2, starting with Mars Hill University from 2018-2021 and then ending with Winston Salem State from 2021-22. He went undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, and began his professional career in the G League.

Cooke most recently played for the Oklahoma City Blue, the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last season, he appeared in 42 games with just over 28 minutes per game. He averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from the three-point line and 68.4 percent from the free throw line.

Cooke also appeared in ten games in the CEBL for the Brampton Honey Badgers during the 2023–24 season. The Rip City Remick begin their season on November 7th against the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Golden State Warriors affiliate.

David Iapkowitz is a basketball reporter for ClutchPoints, covering men’s and women’s NBA, WNBA and NCAA basketball news. The Los Angeles native has op-eds with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation and The Next Hoops.