The Portland Trail Blazers currently have a 17-28 record, which is on pace for a 31-win season. That would be ten more wins than the Blazers had last year, which is encouraging growth and shows how vital the offseason additions of Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan have been.
However, the perceived strength of the 2025 draft class is one of many reasons why the Blazers should take a step back and be sellers heading into the February 6th trade deadline.
As of now, Portland has the eighth-worst record in the association. That would mean a 7.5 percent of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 31.9 percent chance of being in the top four. Portland should increase their odds of capturing the Flagg.
2025 NBA Mock Draft
Note: The draft order is based on teams' records as of January 25.
Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington Wizards | Cooper Flagg | F | Duke |
2 | Utah Jazz | Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers |
3 | New Orleans Pelicans | Ace Bailey | G/F | Rutgers |
4 | Charlotte Hornets | Kasparas Jakucionis | G | Illinois |
5 | Toronto Raptors | Egor Demin | G | BYU |
6 | Brooklyn Nets | Nolan Traoré | G | Saint-Quentin |
7 | Oklahoma City Thunder (via PHI) | V.J. Edgecombe | G | Baylor |
8 | Portland Trail Blazers | Tre Johnson | G | Texas |
9 | Chicago Bulls | Derik Queen | C | Maryland |
10 | San Antonio Spurs | Kon Knueppel | G/F | Duke |
11 | Miami Heat | Collin Murray-Boyle | F | South Carolina |
12 | Golden State Warriors | Khaman Maluach | C | Duke |
13 | Houston Rockets (via PHX) | Asa Newell | F | Georgia |
14 | Sacramento Kings | Liam McNeeley | F | UConn |
15 | San Antonio Spurs (via ATL) | Jeremiah Fears | G | Oklahoma |
16 | Orlando Magic | Ben Saraf | G | Ratiopharm Ulm |
17 | Utah Jazz (via MIN) | Noah Penda | G/F | Le Mans |
18 | Minnesota Timberwolves (via DET) | Labaron Philon | G | Alabama |
19 | Dallas Mavericks | Noa Essengue | F | Ratiopharm Ulm |
20 | Indiana Pacers | Thomas Sorber | F/C | Georgetown |
21 | Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC) | Rasheer Fleming | F | St. Joseph's |
22 | Atlanta Hakws (via LAL) | Johni Broome | F/C | Auburn |
23 | Brooklyn Nets (via MIL) | Hugo Gonzalez | G | Real Madrid |
24 | Orlando Magic (via DEN) | Jase Richardson | G | Michigan State |
25 | Brooklyn Nets (via NYK) | Boogie Fland | G | Arkansas |
26 | Memphis Grizzlies | Kam Jones | G | Marquette |
27 | Brooklyn Nets (via HOU) | Adou Thiero | F | Arkansas |
28 | Boston Celtics | Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | Creighton |
29 | LA Clippers (via OKC) | Alex Karaban | F | UConn |
30 | Phoenix Suns (via CLE) | Nique Clifford | G/F | Colorado State |
With two weeks to go until the trade deadline, it's hard to anticipate how it all shakes out and what Portland will need from a positional standpoint when the draft comes around. If their center logjam gets sorted out and one of Robert Williams III or Deandre Ayton is moved, then Maryland big man Derik Queen becomes an intriguing prospect to help bolster their frontcourt alongside Donovan Clingan.
But regardless of who is traded, the one constant weakness on the Blazers' roster is their lack of shooting. Portland finished dead last in three-point percentage last season (34.4%) and remains in the bottom three this season (33.8%).
Being a good three-point shooting team is essential to success in the modern NBA. It's also concerning that Rip City's two most pivotal pieces in their rebuild -- Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe -- aren't yet consistent three-point shooters at this point in their respective careers.
What would Tre Johnson bring to the Blazers?
Despite being an 18-year-old freshman, Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson is averaging 18.2 points on 45/38/84 shooting splits. He has room to grow on the defensive end, but Johnson's positional length at 6-foot-6 paired with a 7-foot wingspan suggests he can figure it out at the next level.
His offensive impact as a three-level scorer is reminiscent of Devin Booker, especially in utilizing his crafty footwork to create separation on his shots.
The Blazers already have Sharpe, but that shouldn't deter them from selecting Johnson if they believe he's the best prospect available. Given Johnson's shooting ability, it would be a seamless fit regardless of any positional overlap.
Portland needs to draft for upside until they finally have their clear-cut star to make the focal point of their rebuild. Johnson has that type of ceiling. It wouldn't be shocking if he winds up being a top-five selection.