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NBA Mock Draft 7.0: Spurs make shocking pick at No. 2; Blazers trade Damian Lillard

By Michael Saenz

NBA Draft prospect Taylor Hendricks (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
NBA Draft prospect Taylor Hendricks (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft prospect Ausar Thompson (Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports) /

5. Portland Trail Blazers – Ausar Thompson, G, Overtime Elite

The Portland Trail Blazers have a big decision to make regarding Damian Lillard and for the sake of this NBA Mock Draft, they have made the difficult choice of trading him to the Miami Heat. And in return, the Blazers get a talented young player in Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, and the expiring contract of Kyle Lowry who could be moved to a third team as well.

Portland also lands three first-round picks, one in this year’s NBA Draft. The Blazers would also have the option for pick swaps in future years. The Blazers come away with a good foundation to jump-start their rebuild and would send Lillard to a good situation where he could possibly win a  championship next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

It was a difficult decision but also a necessary one. With this top 5 pick, the Blazers take a shot on a developmental point guard that could end up being one of the key cornerstones for the franchise moving forward. Ausar Thompson is far from a finished prospect but has flashed strong tools as a potential star as he makes the jump to the NBA.