The NBA draft is about a week away. As of now, the Portland Trail Blazers do not hold a selection in both the first or second rounds as they were traded.
Most of the teams, those that own picks that is, are getting ready for the draft, mock draft sites are reporting their final predictions and the Blazers are silent. No rumors, no smoke screens on what they could do, nothing unlike previous years. Most fans know that this likely wouldn’t stop President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey from acquiring a pick(s), as he is known to love the draft. It just means all is quiet for the Blazers as of now.
With them not involved with the draft at the moment and again all being quiet, let’s reminisce and take a look at Portland in the draft from years past. Some memorable, one you may have forgotten about and one you’d probably not like to think about.
2019:
The last time Portland had a pick in the first round. Okay, what about 2020? That was traded to Houston like the 2021 pick, along with Trevor Ariza. The Blazers held the and mocks had them linked to various players. They ended up going with North Carolina forward Nassir Little which was a surprise to some, as most mocks had him going at the early/late teens not falling to the Blazers in the late first round. They did however have a second-round pick in 2020, which was used on Washington State guard CJ Elleby.
2018:
There were reports and rumors that, a guard from IMG Academy by the name of Anfernee Simons, who would end up being drafted at 24. Some reporters at the time wondered if Portland promised him he’d be their choice and as we know he is who they went with that year.
Then there were drafts like the one in 2009 where most were wondering, who was that when then-commissioner David Stern announced that the Portland Trail Blazers made Victor Claver a forward from Spain a member of the team at 22, leaving another reporter, Bill Schonley and myself as we sat at a table at the Practice Facility and looked at each other like, what was that? When asked what Schonley thought and knew of Claver at that time, he told the reporter and myself that, he didn’t know anything about him. Claver played sparingly from 2012-2015.
2007:
Probably one of the most, if not most exciting drafts for Portland in recent memory. It bright excitement up to the last moment. The previous year, Parade Magazine named Greg Oden a center from a high school in Indiana, headed to Ohio State, and its player of the year. Oden declared for the draft after a year at OSU with some calling him a once-in-a-lifetime center with comparisons to Bill Russell, and some worried he was injury-prone.
Not long after, a Texas University forward by the name of Kevin Durant made himself available to the draft. Portland and the Seattle SuperSonics won the lottery with Portland selecting first and Seattle second. There were debates on which of the two the Blazers should go with. It was compared to the 84 draft with Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan and the possibility of something similar. There were billboards placed around the Portland area, “honk once for Oden, honk twice for Durant.” Many ran on to the Rose Garden court during the draft party the team held celebrating the selection of Oden. We all know how the rest of the Oden story went down.
And likely the biggest wheeling and dealing draft night in franchise history. They originally owned the fourth pick and drafted Louisiana State University forward Tyrus Thomas in 2006 later that night he would be sent to Chicago along with Viktor Khryapa for the rights to LaMarcus Aldridge at two.
Portland would send Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff to Boston for pick seven (Randy Foye), Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau. Foye would be traded along with cash considerations to Minnesota for the rights to Brandon Roy who was drafted sixth. The Blazers also made a trade with Phoenix for Sergio Rodríguez. With their last pick in the 2006 draft, they went with Joel Freeland a forward out of England with the 30th, acquired via a trade with the Utah Jazz the precious year.
We might soon see what the Blazers do coming up with the draft Thursday. Or, they may just wait until free agency to begin their offseason involving players.