The Portland Trail Blazers are on a collision course to make the play-in tournament. As a result, they now face a win-win scenario to finish out the 2025-26 season.
They have a chance to end an active four-year postseason drought. That's become an increasingly realistic possibility given the Western Conference outlook, with the Golden State Warriors dealing with injuries and the Los Angeles Clippers surprisingly selling at the deadline.
That said, it's more likely than not the Blazers will miss the postseason as they still appear a year away from truly making noise. If that is the case, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
Fans are understandably eager to see this team back in the playoffs, and we will certainly root for that outcome as well. But that would also mean the Blazers surrender their lottery-protected first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls, which they still owe from the questionable Larry Nance Jr. trade. That wouldn't be ideal timing considering the strength of the 2026 draft class.
Assuming Portland retains its pick, one prospect they should already be targeting is Illinois guard Keaton Wagler.
Blazers should be targeting Illinois guard Keaton Wagler
Admittedly, targeting Wagler may be overly ambitious. He was projected to be the No. 6 overall selection in Jonathan Wasserman's recent mock draft on Bleacher Report. But this is a deep draft class that goes well beyond the headliners of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer. Someone talented inevitably has to fall, and the Blazers better hope it's Wagler.
The Illinois freshman is averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 46/42/81 shooting splits. Defense isn't necessarily his strong suit, but Wagler checks about every box on the offensive end. He has some Tyrese Haliburton in his game in terms of his positional size, ability to get to the rim, court vision, team leadership, and, most importantly, shooting.
The Blazers addressed some of their floor spacing concerns at the deadline, stealing Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks. But they still need to add a reliable shooter who's a legitimate building block, not just a role player. Wagler is the ideal prospect for Portland in terms of fit and upside.
When fully healthy, the Portland has a crowded backcourt. However, Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard are two aging stars with closing windows. The Blazers must look towards the future in their draft selection this summer, and Wagler could give them a tremendous upgrade in the backcourt.
If they're able to pull it off, a young backcourt trio of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Wagler would give Rip City a lot to be excited about going forward.