The Portland Trail Blazers enter draft week with a major decision to make. The team has the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which offers tremendous leverage for teams looking to move up to grab one of the top prospects in this class. The Trail Blazers are also wrestling with trying to surround franchise player Damian Lillard with enough talent for him to make a real run at a championship.
Lillard was awesome last year, averaging 32.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. He does have some decent running mates in Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, although the latter is a free agent. Shaedon Sharpe showed promise at the end of the year, but he’s not a sure thing yet for where the Blazers want to go. Jusuf Nurkic is a contract Portland likely will try to get rid of, and the rest of the roster isn’t ready to contend either. This leaves the team in a tough spot. They can either use the No. 3 pick to get a big-time player back to pair with Lillard, or they could trade Lillard to a contender.
The first route likely won’t garner much attention across the league outside of a few teams. The Wizards made Bradley Beal available but ultimately decided to deal him to the Suns. Beal had a no-trade clause and could pick his destination, which likely wasn’t going to be Portland. There’s also the potential to land Zion Williamson, since the Pelicans have expressed interest in the No. 3 pick to get Scoot Henderson. If Henderson is indeed available, this could be a move on draft day. That would be a big risk given Williamson’s health and the Pelicans are unlikely to do that deal without getting something else back, but that pairing would be intriguing.
The second route, which requires dealing Lillard, likely would attract more interest and give the Blazers a bigger return in the event of a bidding war. The Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers would likely headline the list of suitors, with teams like the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves likely being in the second tier of the conversation. Ultimately, this type of move would require Lillard’s approval.
We’ll see if the Blazers choose to keep sticking out this uncomfortable rebuild with Lillard putting up monster numbers or make an effort to commit to one path.