"I Hyun-joong's shot is real": U.S. media also focuses on his joining Portland... "He had an outstanding season in Japan and seized the opportunity."

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korean national basketball team ace Lee Hyun-joong is once again knocking on the door of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the United States, attention has also been focused on Lee Hyun-joong's overwhelming outside shooting ability.

Epik Sports, which manages Lee Hyun-joong, officially announced on the 7th that "Lee Hyun-joong has signed an 'Exhibit 10' contract with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2026-2027 season."

Exhibit 10 is a one-year non-guaranteed contract at the minimum salary level. The player competes to make the regular roster by participating in the NBA team's preseason training camp.

If he shows good performance at camp, there is a possibility not only of joining the regular roster but also of converting to a two-way contract. Even if he fails to make the final roster, he can play for Rip City Remix, the G League team under Portland, and seek another opportunity.

Local U.S. outlets also showed interest in Lee Hyun-joong's new challenge.

The U.S. media outlet RotoBaller predicted on this day that "Lee Hyun-jung is likely to play for the Rip City Remix, Portland's G League affiliate, after participating in Portland's training camp."

At the same time, it highly evaluated Lee Hyun-joong's competitiveness shown in Japan. The media introduced him as follows: "Lee Hyun-joong seized this opportunity after having an outstanding season with Nagasaki Velca."

In fact, Lee Hyun-jeong had a scorching season last year in Japan's B.League. Playing for Nagasaki, he appeared in 57 regular-season games, averaging 17.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

He especially showcased his greatest weapon, his ability to shoot from the perimeter. His three-point shooting percentage was an impressive 47.9%, and he made a total of 187 three-pointers, ranking first in the entire league in both categories.

They were also strong in the playoffs. In particular, during Game 3 of the championship finals, where the title was at stake, they led Nagasaki to victory with 23 points and five rebounds, including three three-pointers.

After finishing the season, he swept all individual awards. He secured a spot in the B.League Best 5 and the Asia quota Choi U-su-seon (수상), and also captured the Championship MVP.

Lottobolla also detailed this performance by Lee Hyun-joong. The media noted that he was selected as the B.League Championship MVP and evaluated, "Lee Hyun-joong's shooting ability is real."

The outside shooting ability proven in Japan has once again become the strongest weapon for his challenge to the NBA.

According to Epic Sports, Lee Hyun-jung received interest from multiple domestic and foreign clubs this off-season, including Boston Celtic FC and Nagasaki.

After considering various options, Lee Hyun-joong decided on his final destination after agreeing with Portland's plan for player utilization and its long-term growth vision.

However, fierce competition awaits before making it to the NBA regular roster.

Lottolauer also highly praised Lee Hyun-joong's shooting ability but predicted that roster competition would not be easy at Portland, given the presence of several wing resources such as Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Jeremy Sochan.

Epik Sports Kim Byeong-uk (CEO) acknowledged the realistic situation while emphasizing the significance of this contract.

Kim (CEO) stated, "Although the ultimately targeted two-way contract was not reached, I am confident that this Exhibit 10 contract will serve as an important starting point for Lee Hyun-jung to open up a larger career on the NBA stage."

Before the full-scale NBA roster competition begins, Lee Hyun-joong has another important stage awaiting him. For now, he will focus on the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games national team schedule.

Under the guidance of coach Nicholas Marzuls (Latvia), the Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team will challenge for a spot in the quarterfinals at this Asian Games after being placed in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Japan. The team will face Saudi Arabia in its first group stage match on the 10th, followed by matches against Indonesia on the 11th and Japan on the 13th.

Lee Hyun-joong stated, "At this Asian Games, I will pour everything onto the court to ensure the national team achieves the best possible results."

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*This content was translated by AI.