2023 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Portland Trail Blazers Draft Scenarios
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The Portland Trail Blazers were considered the big winners on draft night by consensus. They already have a superstar in Damian Lillard with some solid pieces around them yet they still need to make big time moves if they want to contend for a championship, but maybe that isn’t the route to take. Let’s dive into all the options they have.
Keep Pick, Draft Scoot Henderson
Scoot Henderson is the consensus number two prospect in the draft as of today and some scouts believe he could be a number one pick in most other drafts. Although the Blazers do have Lillard and Anfernee Simons, Henderson is too talented to pass up on. The elite prospect gives you a bright future to look forward to after the Lillard era.
He can help compete for a championship right away, and is someone I believe would actually fit well next to Lillard, Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe. The timelines would be a bit different, but at the top of the draft it’s important to go best available. A lot will depend on what the Charlotte Hornets do with their second overall pick as it’s up in the air right now with whether or not they draft Henderson or Brandon Miller second overall.
Keep Pick, Draft Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller is the top college prospect in the draft and looking at the Blazers’ roster, this pick makes so much sense if you’re looking at pure positional fit. The Alabama star brings shot-making versatility, high level shooting, and secondary playmaking skills. If Portland was to draft Miller, he’d likely be plugged in at small forward right away and having a young core of Simons, Sharpe, and Miller is pretty exciting when looking at your future after the Damian Lillard era.
Miller would play very well off of Lillard as he’s an impressive shooter off the catch, best as a secondary creator, and can take some scoring pressure off of him. Again, a lot depends on what the Hornets do with their second overall pick. If Portland plans to keep the pick, drafting whoever the Hornets don’t draft would be the simple way to do it.
Trade Pick
It's been widely reported that the Trail Blazers are open and likely to trade the third overall pick on draft night for a player that fits Damian Lillard’s timeline. This pick holds a ton of value, especially if Henderson falls to third and teams would be willing to give up more to land a superstar caliber player like Henderson.
They're likely to be monitoring the Joel Embiid situation which is probably the best case scenario for them although it’s unlikely. The Bulls have been rumored to want to trade up into the lottery on draft night and if they elect to go rebuild mode, landing Henderson would be more than ideal. I’d also watch out for a name like Karl Anthony-Towns as Minnesota could be interesting in having a special backcourt in Anthony Edwards and Henderson.
Enter Rebuild Mode
Lillard is heading into his 12th season next year and is only getting older at this point. The farthest he has gotten was the eastern conference finals in their extremely tough conference. With them landing the third overall pick, it could very well be time to call it quits and have a fresh restart.
Lillard has done a ton for this franchise and is arguably the greatest Blazer in franchise history. Whether they land Henderson or Miller, they would get a ridiculous package in return for Lillard that would allow them to stockpile assets and even players. Other NBA franchises would obviously be willing to give up a lot in hopes of landing Lillard so it’s definitely something to heavily consider.
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