Former Portland Trail Blazers first-round pick Nassir Little has been released by Western Conference rival the Phoenix Suns.
Shams Charania of The Athletic was among the first to report the news via Twitter/X.
The Phoenix Suns will waive forwards Nassir Little and EJ Liddell, according to sources. By releasing both, the Suns open up a roster spot and create flexibility for sign-and-trades during the offseason. The Suns will extend the remaining three years and $22 million on Little’s contract. pic.twitter.com/UTsuimA2yX
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2024
Little and EJ Liddell were released by the Suns. Charania said the move was intended to open up roster space and create some flexibility for signings and trades during the season.
Little was a former first-round pick of the Trail Blazers in the 2019 NBA draft. The Trail Blazers selected him out of the University of North Carolina with the 25th overall pick.
The 24-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the Trail Blazers, where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from three-point range. He played in 192 games (34 as a starter) and averaged 17.1 minutes per game.
Little’s best season as a Trail Blazer came in 2021-22, when he averaged 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 42 games and 23 starts. However, due to injuries, Little was never able to play more than 55 games in a season.
In January 2022, Little suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Four days after suffering the injury, the Trail Blazers announced that he would undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season. Months later, he underwent abdominal surgery on his left side.
Before the start of the 2022 season, Little and the Trail Blazers agreed to a four-year, $28 million contract extension. In April 2023, he underwent abdominal surgery on his right side.
The 2023 season was his last season in a Blazers uniform.
The Trail Blazers traded Little just over a month before the start of the 2023-24 season to the Suns along with Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić and Keon Johnson in a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deandre Ayton and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Trail Blazers.
Little was once a standout player in Orange Park, Florida. Coming out of high school, he was a five-star recruit, ranked No. 2 overall by 247Sports. He took his talents to North Carolina after a strong freshman season, where he averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three-point range in 36 games.
He will now look for his next NBA home.
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