Now that the Portland Trail Blazers have traded Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks to the Boston Celtics for Jrue Holiday, they should have more clarity surrounding who to select in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. From a fit and upside standpoint, no pick makes more sense than Arizona's Carter Bryant.
Portland can now address its forward depth
Time will tell whether Holiday remains in Portland after reportedly being displeased about the Blazers acquiring him. But from the Blazers' side, the intention was always to keep Holiday around as a 35-year-old vet to help them get back to the playoffs after missing out on them for four straight seasons.
Holiday does have two years and a player option still on his contract, so the Blazers have leverage here despite how Holiday may feel. The source also mentioned that if Holiday stays in Portland, he'll remain professional and look to make an impact.
Plenty will happen during this offseason that's already shaping up to be chaotic. However, if Holiday does stay, the Blazers now have their backcourt solidified between him, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe, especially with Jrue's ability to play multiple positions.
Now, they can address needs elsewhere, the most glaring of which is their forward depth.
Carter Bryant checks every box for the Blazers
Plenty of intriguing forward options are potentially available at No. 11, including Noa Essengue, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Cedric Coward. Each prospect would make sense for Portland in their own way.
As the second youngest player in the draft, Essengue is a high-upside prospect. The Blazers risk purgatory with their lack of star power and need to take a swing for that type of talent late in the lottery.
For Murray-Boyles, the fit makes perfect sense on the defensive end. By upgrading from Simons to Holiday, the Blazers went from the biggest defensive liability on their roster to one of the league's elite defenders. They have bought into Chauncey Billups' gritty, defensive-minded team identity. To help bolster that identity, there may be no better pick than the defensive playmaker that is CMB.
Meanwhile, Coward is one of the best shooters available in this range, as he's hovered around the 40 percent mark from beyond the arc in his past three college seasons. That would be a massive boost for the Blazers' offense, which ranked in the bottom five in three-point efficiency the past two seasons and just traded away their sharpshooter. At 21 years old, he would also make an immediate impact and help Portland achieve its short-term playoff goal (which shouldn't be a priority with this selection, but could be a factor).
These are all compelling reasons to select each prospect, and you'd have to think each is in consideration for Portland at No. 11 because of them. But when combining all three reasons -- upside, defense, and shooting -- there's no better fit than Carter Bryant.
He shot 37.1 percent from deep at Arizona. He has what ESPN called the best frame in the draft, which, combined with his athleticism, will make him an impactful 3-and-D forward. As someone who played less than 20 minutes per game in Arizona, there's room to grow if he can become more of an on-ball creator.
The Blazers address one of their most significant needs by taking Essengue, CMB, or Coward. But Bryant checks every box for them.