Blazers will finally launch their own G League team beginning next season

The Portland Trail Blazers will have a G League team in 2023-24.

Finally.

The NBA announced today that the currently unnamed squad will play its home games at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus and will practice at the Blazers’ facility.

Portland was one of only two NBA franchises without their own G League squad. The Phoenix Suns will eventually be last to join the party.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the organization will fast-track a process that usually takes 18-24 months in order to have a team prepared to play next season.

It’s about time the Trail Blazers have a G League franchise

Woj stated that owner Jody Allen wants to help general manager Joe Cronin and Portland’s front office prioritize player development. Having a G League team in their own back yard should certainly help that process.

“It was very important to our organization to enter the G League with an affiliate here in Portland and strategically strengthen our dedication to player development,” Cronin said in a statement via NBA.com. “I would especially like to thank Jody Allen, who is aligned with Dewayne Hankins (Blazers’ president of business operations) and myself, to make it a priority to have this team ready for next season as it will serve not only as a developmental tool for players but also for aspiring coaches and staff while we continue to be a mainstay in the community as a whole.”

Until now, the Blazers have been sending their prospects to play for affiliates of the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers, giving those organizations an up-close look at Portland’s young player assets.

The NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed to add a third two-way player to every roster as part of the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, Woj noted. That will give the Blazers an extra player who will be able to move up and down from the NBA squad to the G League team and back.