PORTLAND, Ore. (July 6, 2023) – The Portland Trail Blazers have re-signed center Ibou Badji (E-boo BAH-gee) and forward John Butler Jr. to two-way contracts, it was announced today by General Manager Joe Cronin.
Badji. 7-1, originally signed a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers on November 18, 2022. During the 2022-23 season, he averaged 7.4 points (61.8% FG, 66.7% FT), 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.6 blocks in seven games (all starts) for the Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks prior to signing with Portland. A native of Senegal, he also played for the country in the 2019 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup and averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in seven games.
Butler, 7-0, appeared in 19 games (1 start) during his rookie campaign for Portland and averaged 2.4 points (32.1% FG, 75.0% FT), 0.9 rebounds and 11.6 minutes per game as a two-way player. Undrafted out of Florida State, Butler played in six games for the Stockton Kings, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings during the 2022-23 season and averaged 8.3 points (45.0% FG, 34.6% 3-PT), 1.2 assists, 3.2 blocks and 23.6 minutes per game.
