The Portland Trail Blazers are adding three more names to the mix ahead of training camp, signing Daeshon Boone, Alex Johnson and Jameer Armstrong to Exhibit 10 deals.
It’s a group built on different paths but similar themes: college experience, professional reps overseas or in the G League, and a chance to make noise once camp opens next week. Portland is giving itself a deeper look at players who have already spent time proving they can handle a level above the typical rookie track.
Boone brings the most unusual route of the three. He began at Oklahoma State, spent three seasons there, then moved to Pacific for the 2022-23 season before using his COVID year to transfer again to UNLV.
At UNLV, he averaged 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Since then, he has taken his game abroad, playing for the Zerofrees Southland Sharks in New Zealand and Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba in Argentina.
At 6-8, Boone has the kind of size that jumps off the page for a guard, and the Blazers want to see more from him back in the United States. He also turns 26 in November, but Portland still sees enough potential to bring him into camp.
Johnson arrives with a familiar connection to the organization. He spent four seasons at UConn and shared the floor with Donovan Clingan for two years.
When Clingan was drafted by the Blazers, Johnson stepped into the starting lineup in his place. As a senior, he posted 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Huskies.
He then played last season with the Noblesville Boom, the Indiana Pacers’ G League affiliate, where he put up 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds across 33 games.
Armstrong is the youngest of the trio and has already been moving through the pro pipeline. He played two seasons at Villanova before entering the 2024 NBA draft, going undrafted and then signing with the Brooklyn Nets after Las Vegas Summer League.
From there, he stayed in the G League, spending the 2024-25 season with the Long Island Nets before being traded ahead of the 2025-26 campaign to the Texas Legends. The 6-2 guard is expected to continue developing in the G League, likely with the Remix, but Portland will get a close look at him in camp.
At 22, he still has plenty of room to grow, and he’ll be around veteran point guards Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, and Jrue Holiday while he’s there.
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