Trail Blazers News: Recent NCAA Champ Seen As Intriguing Portland Lottery Fit
The Portland Trail Blazers hold picks No. 7 and No. 14 in the upcoming NBA Draft, giving them a real chance to bring in some talent to the team. After finishing with a poor record of 21-61, the Blazers are looking to get themselves back to a place of contention moving forward.
While this draft class isn't widely regarded as a strong one, there is a lot of solid depth within it. Even at the top, there aren't any clear-cut star prospects but Portland may be looking to grab a recent NCAA champion big man.
According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, Portland recently worked out UConn Huskies center Donovan Clingan. Clingan is seen to be one of the top options in this draft and could give the Trail Blazers a legitimate piece to work around.
"Connecticut center Donovan Clingan recently worked out for the Trail Blazers, an NBA source has told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The Blazers have the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in the first round."
Clingan is expected to go higher than where the Blazers hold a pick but there has been talk about them possibly moving up. They could likely package their two first rounders with an extra asset to move up if they wanted.
Getting a player like Clingan could be good for the franchise, especially with his championship DNA. He helped lead the Huskies to back-to-back championships.
He has limited mobility but is great on the defensive end of the floor. Portland could get a nice cornerstone piece to their future if they were to select him in this draft.
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