Priority No. 3: Fill needs through the 2023 draft
This could be tied directly to priority No. 2. If the Blazers can’t find a center in free agency or via trade, they might have to do it in the draft.
As of March 6, Portland is set to have two selections in the 2023 NBA Draft. Since they’re currently out of the playoff race, they’ll hold onto their lottery-protected pick that’s owed to the Chicago Bulls.
The Trail Blazers also have the New York Knicks’ first-round pick they got along with Reddish in the Josh Hart trade.
If those draft assets aren’t part of a trade package, finding a center who can at least play solid minutes off the bench during his rookie season is a must, whether that comes in the form of a lottery pick or the Knicks’ selection, which is expected to land somewhere in the 20s.
If Portland keeps both and has the ability to take a flier on a high-risk, high-reward player – similar to what they did with Sharpe in last year’s draft – while grabbing a serviceable big man, all the better.
Finding a way to keep Grant may be Cronin’s No. 1 offseason priority, but it’s far, far from the last if the goal is to keep building a roster that can help Lillard make a real run at an NBA title.