Inside Blake Wesley's Wild Summer

Former South Bend Riley star went from San Antonio to Washington before landing in Portland

BY KIRBY SPROULS // POSTED AUGUST 8, 2025

Blake Wesley expects — and relishes — a fast pace on the basketball floor, but he learned this summer the business-side of the NBA can move swiftly too.

This was a front-office fast break resulting in Wesley wearing three different NBA uniforms in less than two weeks.

The South Bend native was working out last month in preparation for his fourth season with the San Antonio Spurs when the news broke that he had been traded to the Washington Wizards.

Barely a week passed before Wesley's agent negotiated a buyout from the Wizards, making him a free agent. Two days later, Wesley, going coast to coast, signed a one-year, $2.38 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.

“It's been a wild summer — I didn't see it coming,” said Wesley, a former Riley High School and Notre Dame standout who returned to his hometown this month to conduct a series of basketball camps. “I knew we (the Spurs) had the second pick in the draft and Dylan Harper (a guard, like Wesley) was on the radar for us but I figured we would play together.”

Wesley learned of the trade while training in Las Vegas.

“I was in the weight room and had a good workout when my trainer (Joe Abunassar) said, 'When you get done, come see me.' I was thinking he was going to tell me I'm doing good. But he said, 'San Antonio is trading you to Washington' ... I was like 'dang.'”

Yeah, it stung.

“I was hurt for at least that one day,” he said. “They drafted me and I was there for three years and got the full experience. And I'm thankful for it all. I appreciate them for all that.”

The deal sent Wesley, Malaki Branham and a second-round draft pick to the Wizards for veteran center Kelly Olynyk.

In that briefest of stints as a Wizard, Wesley did meet with team officials during the NBA Summer League in Vegas.

“I worked out with them and had a good relationship with the coach and GM. Then the next thing you know, I'm with the Blazers.

“The trade ... it's rough, man. It's a business, but at the end of the day we're going to see who's going to come out on top. I'm looking forward to Portland.”

The athletic 22-year-old, who's developed into a strong defender, believes his game fits nicely with the defensive-minded Blazers and their coach, Chauncey Billups.

“For sure, 'D' is my calling card and they play great defense. It is a good opportunity and I know Chauncey is a good coach. He's going to love me. I can't wait to show him what I can do.”

The 6-foot-3 combo guard should benefit from new teammate Jrue Holiday, a six-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection whom the Blazers acquired in a trade with the Celtics this summer.

“I can learn from him,” Wesley said.

Cyro Asseo, who covers the NBA for HoopsHype, likes Wesley's ability as a disruptive defender with his speed and 6-foot-9 wingspan.

“He could be a microwave off the bench” for the Blazers, he said.

Wesley's defense is ahead of his offensive game at this point and he needs to improve his outside shooting, but in the second half of last season he shot 37 percent from the three-point line, eight percentage points higher than his career mark and a tick better than league average. For his career, he's averaged 4.3 points and 2.4 assists a game, coming off the bench.

He averaged 14.4 points in his one season at Notre Dame, after which he earned second team all-ACC honors and was taken by the Spurs with the 25th pick in the 2022 draft.

His whirlwind July behind him, it was an enthusiastic Wesley who returned to South Bend this month to oversee four separate youth camps.

“574 is my home,” he said while pausing during a Saturday morning camp at Riley. “The camps are a way to look out for the kids. It's fun for them and me.”

Aside from Riley, camps were held at the MLK Dream Center in South Bend, the Tolson Center in Elkhart and Merrillville High School. The free camps for ages 7 to 17 were filled to capacity.

Wesley isn't the only former Riley player in NBA news this summer. Javon Small, who played at Riley as a freshman before moving to Indianapolis, was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies as the 48th pick in the second round.

Small, a 6-3 guard, had a big senior season at West Virginia, averaging 18.6 points and 5.6 assists and landing on the All-Big 12 First Team.

West Virginia was the final stop on a portal-fueled journey in which Small also played one year at both East Carolina and Oklahoma State, following high school seasons at Riley, Franklin Central in Indianapolis and AZ Compass Prep in Arizona.

Meanwhile, Jaden Ivey, yet a third South Bend native in the NBA, should be back to full health for the Detroit Pistons this fall after missing much of last season with a broken leg.

The former Marian High, LaLumiere School and Purdue guard was having a strong season offensively before his injury, averaging a career-best 17.6 points and 4.0 assists for the revived Pistons.

Ivey, drafted fifth in 2022, will be in his fourth year with the Pistons.

And, of course, South Bend's Skylar Diggins — the senior member of this local basketball royalty — is currently in her 11th year in the WNBA, averaging 16.5 points and 5.2 assists for the Seattle Storm.

The Washington High and Notre Dame graduate is with her fourth WNBA team and recently appeared in her seventh WNBA All-Star game.