Nobody is going to be giving anything of serious value to a team to trade out of this draft. And if you trust your scouting, the +10 picks thing is hogwash as well. Within reason (ie. don't go trading our unprotected '25 pick) this is the draft to go get your guys.
If we stay at 7: take Clinghan if he slips or take Holland one of the two will be available or trade back with Memphis or Utah if we know that they and Spurs don’t want Holland - get another second rounder out of one of them
Years back the Blazers had a good draft night, trading a pick and players and getting Brandon Roy and then trading again for #2 LaMarcus Aldridge* If only we could have such a night again Nabbing Clinghan and Risacher *The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft. Portland acquired the draft rights to 2nd pick LaMarcus Aldridgeand a 2007 second-round draft pick from Chicago in exchange for the draft rights to 4th pick Tyrus Thomasand Viktor Khryapa.[4] Portland acquired the draft rights to 6th pick Brandon Roy from Minnesota in exchange for the draft rights to 7th pick Randy Foye. Previously, Portland acquired the draft rights to 7th pick Randy Foye, Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau from Boston in exchange for Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and a 2008 second-round draft pick.[4]
DRAFT NIGHT Portland trades Grant and the 14th & 34th picks to the San Antonio Spurs for #4 selection and Tre Jones PG, Zach Collins PF, and Sochan, F [Spurs still have #8 and #34 and have acquired combo-forward Jeremy Grant with four years remaining on his contract. A PG will fall to San Antonio at 8th] ESPN TRADE MACHINE APPROVED With the 4th pick of the 2024 NBA draft, the Portland Trailblazers select Donovan Clinghan of the University of Connecticut. It’s not over! With the 7th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Portland Trailblazers select Matas Buzelis of G League Ignite Roster: Ayton / Clinghan / Reath / Williams III Buzelis / Collins / Walker Sochan/ Camara / Murray Simons / Sharpe / Brogdan / Rupert Scoot / Banton / Tre Jones what are we missing? who gets demoted or cut? Players that we can move at the deadline: Williams III Brogdan Simons Ayton Walker / Murray / Rupert / Jones / Reath / Collins Core for the Rebuild: Scoot Sharp Buzelis Sochan Clinghan Camara
I don’t mind moving up a couple of spots from 14 using our seconds; it’s the ‘trading up with our best players’ thing that I’m not cool with.
Our best players are paid at or above their competence and they aren't good enough to make us good... with the potential exceptions of Ayton and Simons, they're too old to be valuable if/when our core grows up enough for us to be good again. I know that leaves basically Grant and Brogdon, but the bottom line is that they are just taking up salary cap space and minutes and we're be better off, IMO, getting value for them now. I'm not a huge fan of this draft, although I'm fascinated and excited to see who we get of course, and am not sure trading Grant and Brogdon for picks in this draft makes the most sense, but I'm in favor of getting value now than holding and hoping we can get something down the road.
Williams seems like the 'safer' upside pick, but there is something intriguing about Salaun's potential and since Cronin seems to be a big 'swing for the fences' guy, I'll go with Salaun.
I think I would rather go with the safer pick since Williams plays a position of need. However, taking Salaun would not disappoint me. I can at least see the logic. At the very least he looks like he would be an excellent defender with size., similar to how I feel about Holland, but at a different position.
Oh, let me be clear—just because they're our best players doesn't make them super valuable necessarily. But we're already overcapitalized in this particular draft, which is risky/inconsistent at the top end. The reason people keep proposing these inane 'trade up a couple of spots with Anfernee Simons or Jerami Grant!' scenarios is because we've had nothing to talk about except this meh draft for months now. It could very well be that the Blazers get value at 7 and 14, that'd be awesome. But dumping your already limited assets on guys who are 'maybe' marginally a tick better? Eh. If you're going to get anything back for these expensive vets, look elsewhere. We're already full up on the 2024 draft, IMO. The one trade up scenario that makes sense, in my opinion, is moving up a few spots from 14 with one of the two seconds or another fringe asset, as the Blazers will likely be on the outside of the block of wings available in that range at 14.
I want both. We have Tou at the three. We don't have a four penciled in as a starting 4 which Salaun would project to be. I'd be happy with getting both.
Yeah I would love to get both as well. I do wonder though if Camara will end up being our backup 4. He is listed at 226 lbs with a 7+ wing. His ball-handling skills seem to be closer to a PF than a wing, but he can guard either IMO
I think he's more of a 3 than a 4 and I think the goal is to have plus size at each position. He can play some 4 in a pinch though.
. . I guess it will depend on who he is on the floor with. Especially at the opposite forward. In crunch time you have to have 3 players who can put the ball on the floor. Or in the playoffs when the pressure is dialed up.
