The Portland Trail Blazers had the fifth-best odds at the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, so when the Detroit Pistons slipped to fifth, there was hope in Portland.
They ended up just with the third pick and while that is still good, it does mean they have no chance of getting Victor Wembanyama. It turns out they were pretty close though to getting that top pick, as per Ben Golliver.
“The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft lottery and the right to select Victor Wembanyama with the ping pong ball combo 14, 5, 8, 2. The Portland Trail Blazers held the combination 14, 5, 8, 3. They missed by just one number on the final ball.”
The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft lottery and the right to select Victor Wembanyama with the ping pong ball combo 14, 5, 8, 2.
The Portland Trail Blazers held the combination 14, 5, 8, 3. They missed by just one number on the final ball.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 17, 2023
This will be a gut punch to Blazers fans. To come that close to a generational talent and not get him would be a tough pill to swallow. Had they landed the first pick to get Wembanyama, then Damian Lillard would almost certainly be staying with the team for the rest of his career, but instead, he has now sent a cryptic Tweet about teaming up with the Frenchman on the San Antonio Spurs.
The Blazers Need To Either Trade Damian Lillard Or That Draft Pick
That third pick still has a lot of value, however, but by the time whoever they pick hopefully becomes a star, Lillard almost certainly would have declined to the point where he wouldn’t be a superstar. They either need to trade that pick and potentially get a star who can help them contend in the next couple of years, or trade Dame and rebuild.
Anfernee Simons and potentially Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson can be the building blocks for the future along with the other assets they get for Lillard. If they remain put and make no changes, you’d expect things to go the way they have for the past decade. Sure, they might get back to the playoffs but it’ll be the same story as before, where they repeatedly came up short in the postseason.
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