The Trail Blazers have plenty of assets outside of the third-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
In the hullabaloo following the NBA Draft lottery, the Portland Trail Blazers found themselves back in the national news cycle. Media, fans, and analysts knew that the Blazers were short on assets before the lottery and that Damian Lillard was hungry to return to contention; what they didn’t know was the fine details surrounding the team.
Aside from the third-overall pick, the Blazers, of course, also had a pair of young guards ready to explode for 30-plus points on any given night in Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. Most pundits knew this already, too. What many analysts don’t know, or, at least, don’t mention, is that Portland technically owns all of their future first-round picks except one: a lottery-protected selection that they owe to the Chicago Bulls.
If Portland can get the rights back to that pick, or even just remove the protections, they open up a whole bevy of ammunition to use in a trade. With that in mind, it’s entirely feasible that the Trail Blazers could bring in an All-Star to compete with Damian Lillard during the remainder of his prime and keep the third-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to add another blue-chip prospect alongside the essentially untouchable Shaedon Sharpe.
This deal sees Portland getting their own pick back from Chicago, opening up the rest of their future firsts for use. With that portion completed, they can attach two (or more, if needed) first-round selections to Anfernee Simons in order to land Jaylen Brown.