Portland secured a championship-tested finisher to ignite their frontcourt, betting on the efficient rim-running skills and established chemistry that powered back-to-back national titles at UConn.
For two straight Marches, Samson Johnson and Donovan Clingan finished their seasons in the same place — underneath the confetti.
They shared a frontcourt at UConn, won consecutive national championships and eventually took very different paths into professional basketball. Clingan became the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Johnson went undrafted a year later and spent his first professional season trying to establish himself in the G League.
Now they're together again.
The Portland Trail Blazers signed Johnson to an Exhibit 10 contract this week, reuniting him with Clingan in Portland.
But Portland's interest in Johnson started before the NBA contract ever surfaced.
On Sept. 18, the Rip City Remix acquired Johnson's returning player rights from the Noblesville Boom, sending the rights to Andrew Carr and Jamiya Neal along with a 2027 second-round pick the other way.
That's a real investment for a player entering camp on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Johnson spent his first professional season with Noblesville after going undrafted in 2025 and signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers. He eventually landed with the Boom and carved out a pretty simple role … finish everything around the rim.
It worked.
Johnson appeared in 36 games, making 29 starts, and averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 70.6% from the field.
He scored in double figures 16 times and shot at least 50% from the field in 34 appearances. Noblesville frequently used Johnson as a lob target, letting the 6-foot-10 center run, roll and finish without needing possessions built around him.
That's the appeal.
Johnson doesn't need touches manufactured for him. Give him a guard who can get downhill and collapse the defense, and his job becomes pretty simple — screen, dive, finish.
Portland should also have a pretty good idea of what comes with the player.
Johnson and Clingan spent two seasons together at UConn and were part of both national championship teams in 2023 and 2024. Those teams have since sent talent all over the NBA.
Stephon Castle went fourth overall to San Antonio in the same draft as Clingan and won Rookie of the Year. Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton also reached the league, while all four were selected for the 2026 Rising Stars event.
And some teams have gone back to that pipeline.
Two years after drafting Castle, San Antonio acquired Tarris Reed Jr. with the No. 26 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Reed spent his final two college seasons at UConn before joining Castle with the Spurs.
Portland's version comes on a completely different scale.
Clingan arrived as a lottery pick and has become a major piece of the franchise's future. Johnson is fighting for his place through an Exhibit 10 contract and, eventually, the Remix.
But familiarity matters when you're trying to develop someone on the margins of an NBA roster.
Johnson understands the demands that came with playing for Dan Hurley, shared a frontcourt with Clingan and now has a full professional season behind him. More importantly, that season gave Portland something tangible to work with — a big who can screen, run and finish at an absurd rate around the rim.
An Exhibit 10 contract alone wouldn't say much. NBA teams hand them out every September, and most never turn into anything substantial.
Portland's actions before the signing make Johnson harder to dismiss.
The Remix gave up two sets of returning player rights and a future pick to get him into Portland's developmental system.
Clingan may be the familiar face waiting for him … but the trade is what makes Johnson worth watching.
