The Portland Trail Blazers fell in the 2025 NBA Draft and will now have the No. 11 overall pick, which they only had an 18.5 percent chance of getting. Portland has now fallen in the lottery in three of the past four years. However, the one silver lining is that the Blazers still find themselves at the end of a tier of promising prospects.
The draft class goes far beyond Cooper Flagg, who is, in all likelihood, headed to Dallas after they miraculously won despite having just a 1.8 percent chance (opening up all kinds of conspiracy theories surrounding the questionable Luka Doncic deal).
So, who will potentially still be available by the time the Blazers are on the clock? And of these, who should they be targeting?
The Blazers are still well-positioned to add a building block
Unlike last year's volatile class, this year has more definitive tiers emerging, which are only becoming more solidified after recent NBA Draft combine measurements. The top four likely off the board will be Flagg, Dylan Harper, V.J. Edgecombe, and Ace Bailey, in no particular order. Then there are other players that would be surprising if they were around for Portland, including Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach.
Assuming those seven are off the board, there is still a lot of talent left for Portland to choose from. They could take the best player available approach with Jeremiah Fears or Derik Queen, who has elite upside but doesn't necessarily fit any particular needs for the Blazers. Or they could go with Kasparas Jakucionis or Liam McNeeley, who are better fits for a Blazers team that desperately needs more shooting.
Here's a breakdown of these tiers for the Blazers:
- Cooper Flagg tier: Cooper Flagg
- Star tier: Dylan Harper, V.J. Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson
- Duke tier: Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel
- Ideal fit: Kasparas Jakucionis
- High upside, poor fit: Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen
- High floor and fit: Liam McNeeley
There are exactly eleven players that the Blazers should feel comfortable about selecting, whether it's due to their floor, ceiling, or fit. After McNeeley, things get murkier, with a tier of unproven prospects who come with real question marks.
Nolan Traore's NBA transition is uncertain, Asa Newell looks like a tweener without a clear fit, Jase Richardson measured just six feet tall and lacks the tools of a traditional pass-first point guard, Egor Demin struggles to shoot consistently or beat defenders off the dribble -- the list goes on.
The tiers are becoming clearer, and although the Blazers fell in the draft, they are still in a prime position to add a future building block for their young core.