The Portland Trail Blazers were a modest winner in the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday, and they may try to parlay that into another move.
NBA executives believe the Blazers are likely to try to shop the No. 3 pick to try to find immediate help for Damian Lillard, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. The team is expected to bring back forward Jerami Grant and try to add another talented piece to go with them.
As Lowe notes, the No. 3 pick alone is unlikely to net the Blazers a franchise player in a trade. Portland may have to package the pick with a player such as guard Anfernee Simons in order to seriously upgrade the roster.
The Blazers have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons, a major source of frustration for the 33-year-old Lillard. Time is running out for Portland to build a competitive team around him, hence their urgency. It’s fair to question if it is even doable, but maybe the third pick can help them achieve their goal.
