The Austin Spurs added a familiar name with real NBA mileage on the eve of their 2026-27 season opener, bringing in former first-round pick Ochai Agbaji and opening a roster spot by waiving Elijah Pemberton.
Because of the timing, Agbaji didn’t land on Austin’s opening-day roster, but he is expected to make his debut at the Spurs’ home opener Sunday at H-E-B Center.
Agbaji arrives with a track record that stretches well beyond the G League. Cleveland took him with the 14th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, though he was moved before the regular season in the blockbuster Donovan Mitchell deal that sent him, Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton and multiple picks to the Utah Jazz.
Over four NBA seasons, Agbaji has carved out a role as a solid rotation piece. He has played in more than 250 games and started 108 for Utah, Toronto and Brooklyn. His strongest pro season came in 2024-25, when he averaged 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists while starting 45 games for the Raptors.
The New York Knicks signed Agbaji to an Exhibit 9 contract in September, and he was placed on waivers when the NBA season began. ESPN’s Shams Charania later reported that Agbaji was in talks with the Oklahoma City Thunder before the team backed out of the deal after the long-term loss of franchise center Chet Holmgren.
Austin is also getting a player who knows the city. Agbaji faced Texas three times on the road during his four-year run at Kansas, where he averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the field. His older sister, Orie, also spent four seasons starring for Texas volleyball in the late 2010s.
This is Agbaji’s second G League stint. He played nine games for the Salt Lake City Stars during his rookie year, averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists before moving up to the NBA club full-time.
With several guards already on the Austin roster, including two-way rookie Ja’Kobi Gillespe, Agbaji’s fit will be worth watching. Still, he brings something the group doesn’t have much of: the most NBA experience on the current roster.
Austin opens its season Friday night against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ affiliate, in the first game of the Tip-Off Tournament. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Central at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas, and fans can watch on NBA.com.
The G League’s regular season is split into two main parts. Starting Friday, Nov. 6, the league’s 31 teams will be divided into four regional pods and play 14 games against one another in NBA G League markets as part of the Tip-Off Tournament.
The top team in each pod, plus the next four best teams overall, will advance to the Winter Showcase Championship in Orlando, Fla., from Dec. 19-22.
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