The Portland Trail Blazers' path to come out of the Western Conference has somehow become even more difficult thanks to the 2026 NBA Draft. The Utah Jazz may not have won the lottery, but they managed to steal the most talented prospect in the draft class with the selection of guard Darryn Peterson.
His up-and-down and injury-riddled freshman season at Kansas could be a blessing in disguise for Utah, as the uncertainty contributed to the Washington Wizards' decision to take BYU's AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick.
Peterson only visited the Wizards, but as ESPN's Shams Charania notes, the Jazz visited him in person, where he made it clear he wanted to be part of this promising young core. The Jazz are rapidly ascending the Western Conference, with a young core consisting of Peterson, Ace Bailey, Keyonte George, Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kesler.
Jazz could soon leapfrog the Blazers out west
Given how much Utah prioritizes its frontcourt and Cameron Boozer's historic rookie campaign, he was very much in consideration here as well. The Duke product was the No. 3 selection, joining Zach Edey and Cedric Coward in Memphis.
The silver lining is that looming NBA expansion will force a team such as the Grizzlies or Minnesota Timberwolves to move to the Eastern Conference. But how is Portland going to survive this gauntlet that somehow only continues to get stronger?
It's not just the Grizzlies or Jazz who are on an upward trajectory, either. The Mavericks have Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, while the Spurs and Thunder are on the verge of dynasties, with unprecedented combinations of depth and superstar talent.
Portland is trending in the right direction, too, and should have a more competitive roster next season as they continue to get healthier (including Damian Lillard's return). However, the Western Conference landscape could look wildly different next season.
This was a loaded 2026 draft class that nearly a third of the league was tanking for to the point where commissioner Adam Silver had to implement anti-tanking changes to the lottery going forward. To make matters worse, the Blazers didn't have a single selection in this draft, conveying their lottery-protected first-round selection to the Chicago Bulls.
Deni Avdija's All-Star season and Portland's return to the playoffs made this season an overall success. But Blazers fans must realize that while their team is slowly getting better, so is just about every other team in their impossible conference.
Portland was already at a disadvantage, with its timeline aligning with the Thunder's and Spurs'. But don't sleep on the Jazz with Peterson now leading the way in the backcourt.
If the Kansas product gets healthy and can showcase his talent over the course of the season, the Wizards could be left to wonder how they ever passed on this guy. And the Blazers could be left to wonder how they have yet another team to deal with in this conference.
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