BATON ROUGE - LSU Sophomore Trendon Watford is signing a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced that Watford made the decision after he was not selected during Thursday's NBA draft. 

LSU's Trendon Watford plans to sign a two-way deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 30, 2021

An Alabama native, Watford played basketball for Moutain Brook High School where he made history by amassing a number of Alabama state records. For example, he earned the Alabama High School Athletic Association's career rebounding record and led Mountain Brook to three consecutive Class 7A state championships from 2017-2019. 

He went on to play for LSU, and his debut with the Tigers turned out to be an 88–79 win over Bowling Green, during which Watford scored 10 points

Last year, the 20-year-old 6’9 combo forward chose to stay in Baton Rouge, where he registered 16.3 points, 7.4 boards, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals.

Watford ranked No. 6 in the SEC in scoring average, fifth in rebound average, and the SEC leader in defensive rebounds averaging 5.71. 

Two other players with LSU ties signed deals Thursday. LSU guard Javonte Smart signed a contract with the Miami Heat after going undrafted during this year's NBA Draft, and former LSU star Cam Thomas was selected 27th over all by the Brooklyn Nets.