ONE of the South Korean players that tormented Gilas Pilipinas in their two friendlies over the weekend has just inked a contract with the Portland Trailblazers.
Lee Hyun Jung signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Blazers as announced by the Nagasaki Velca following the expiration of his contract with the Japan B.League team on Monday.
An Exhibit 10 contract in the NBA is a one-year, non-guaranteed agreement for the league-minimum salary that allows teams to evaluate a prospect during training camp or the preseason.
READ Gilas gets smashed by Korea again in tune-ups
In the event the 25-year-old wingman get to impress the Blazers management, he can be signed to a regular contract for the remainder of the 2026-27 season,
The 6-foot-7 Lee, who played college ball with Davidson College in the US NCAA, played for the South Korean team that beat Gilas Pilipinas in a pair of friendlies in Suwon ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
He had an all-around game of 11 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in Korea’s 69-42 beating of the Philippines on the final day of the friendly.
In the 81-55 win over Gilas in the first of the two tune up games, Lee finished with six points, 15 rebounds, four assists. And a steal.
Prior to the friendly, Lee suited up for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Summer League.
Lee played a major role in Nagasaki Velca winning its first ever B.League championship by beating the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the finals, where the Korean player was named Finals MVP after finishing with a team-high 23 points.
Lee could be in line to become the second South Korean player to suit up in the NBA after 7-foot-3 Ha Seung-jin played for the Portland Trailblazers from 2004-06.
If at all, Lee's move to the NBA can be beneficial to Gilas' own Kai Sotto, who is without a contract after an attempt to bring him to the US NCAA fell through.
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