While teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and even Utah Jazz received (much) more attention, the Portland Trail Blazers finished with the third-best record in the Western Conference this season. Of course, things did not end well for Damian Lillard and company with a hideous playoff loss at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans but, in the same breath, it was a net-positive campaign for the club and there is some reason for optimism moving forward.
With that said, the Blazers won’t have anything approaching salary cap flexibility and the organization has a significant decision to make with Jusuf Nurkic entering restricted free agency. Portland would likely look to add another big man if Nurkic sneaks away, but the Blazers did select two pure bigs in the 2017 draft with Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, indicating they may have more faith in their replacement options than some outsiders would.
Regardless, the Blazers are in a spot at No. 24 overall in which they will likely aim for a combination of NBA readiness and some modicum of upside. It is tough to negotiate that paradox but here are five players that could make sense when Portland is on the clock on June 21.
- Bruce Brown – SG/PG, Miami – The Blazers obviously have tremendous guards with Lillard and CJ McCollum but adding a defense-first, versatile option like Brown could make sense. Portland has a decision to make with Shabazz Napier in free agency and, even if he returns, this is a team that could really use a lock-down defender to pair with their offensively focused perimeter options.
- Chandler Hutchison – SF, Boise State – As weird as this may sound, Portland doesn’t have enough offensive punch on the wing. As noted above, their starting guards are great in that regard but Evan Turner has been a disappointment and the duo of Mo Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu isn’t known for its scoring. Hutchison is an older prospect but he has a polished offensive game that would fit snugly.
- De’Anthony Melton – SG/PG, USC – Melton, much like Brown, is a terrorizing defender and he probably has more offensive upside. The biggest question centers on his jump shot but, if the former USC guard can become a league-average shooter from three-point distance, it would be a heist to grab him near the end of the first round.
- Dzanan Musa – SF, Cedevita – Scouts are all over the board with Musa, who some have as the No. 2 European prospect in this class. Everyone agrees that he’s an intriguing shot-maker and his shooting is alluring. The split comes with how that will translate and just how questionable the rest of his game (headlined by defense) might be. Still, the Blazers could use a floor-spacer and Musa is that.
- Khyri Thomas – SG, Creighton – Thomas has a 6’10 wingspan and the ability to knock down 40 percent of his threes. That is a great place to start. It is an open question as to whether he can create for himself and others at the NBA level but the Blazers could use a high-end role player that will fill in the gaps. Thomas would be a nice addition.
