AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Spurs aren't lacking talent for new coach Chris Kent to develop.

Ahead of the 2026-27 season opener, Austin announced the acquisition of former Cleveland Cavaliers 2022 first-round pick Ochai Agbaji, waiving Elijah Pemberton to clear a roster spot. Because of timing, Agbaji did not make Austin's opening-day roster and will likely debut at the Spurs' home opener at H-E-B Center on Sunday.

Join us in welcoming Ochai to the Austin Spurs!👏 pic.twitter.com/Qphu12mkTE

— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) November 6, 2026

Agbaji is no stranger to Austin, having faced the Texas Longhorns three times on the road over the course of his four-year career with the Kansas Jayhawks, where he averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the field. Agbaji's older sister, Orie, also starred for Texas volleyball for four seasons in the late 2010s.

Although Cleveland selected him with their 14th pick in 2022, Agbaji was traded before the regular season in a blockbuster trade featuring Donovan Mitchell that sent him, Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton and multiple picks to the Utah Jazz.

Agbaji has been a solid role player over his four seasons in the NBA, but has not met the expectations set by his dominant final college season. He's appeared in over 250 NBA games, starting in 108 for Utah, Toronto and Brooklyn. The 2024-25 season marked his best pro season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 45 starts with the Raptors.

The New York Knicks signed Agbaji to an Exhibit 9 contract in September, putting him on waivers at the start of the NBA season. ESPN's Shams Charania then reported that Agbaji was in talks with the Oklahoma City Thunder before the team backed out of the deal after the long-term loss of franchise center Chet Holmgren.

This is the second time Agbaji has appeared in the G League, playing in nine games for the Salt Lake City Stars in his rookie season. In his brief stint, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists before joining the NBA club full-time.

With multiple guards on the Austin roster, including Spurs two-way rookie Ja'Kobi Gillespe — who headlines the position — it will be intriguing to see how Agbaji fits into Kent's rotation. Agbaji brings professional experience, with the most NBA experience of any on the current roster.

The G League splits its regular season into two main parts. Beginning Friday, Nov. 6, the league’s 31 teams will be separated into four regional pods and will play 14 games against one another in NBA G League markets as part of the league's Tip-Off Tournament.

The teams with the best winning percentage in each regional pod, along with the next four winningest teams across the league, will play for the Winter Showcase Championship during the NBA G League Winter Showcase in Orlando, Fla. from Dec. 19-22.

Austin will play the first game of its season — part of the Tip-Off Tournament — against the Houston Rockets-affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Central at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas. Fans can watch the game on NBA.com.