3 Questions Trail Blazers must answer by 2025 trade deadline

3. Is Portland's roster bad enough to secure highest draft lottery odds?

ESPN recently released predictions for every NBA team's record next season. The Blazers were last in the Western Conference (subscription required), similar to last season, with a 22-60 record this time around. Barring a significant trade involving someone like Simons or Grant, this record seems reasonable.

Meanwhile, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey predicts the Blazers will finish the 2024-25 season with an atrocious 15-67 record, the worst record in his predictions. It's almost disrespectful after the Blazers finished six wins higher last season. But Bailey seems to be accounting for any future trades leading up to the 2025 deadline, saying: "While there are a few veterans like Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, and Anfernee Simons who could push Portland away from the league's best lottery odds, trades of any or all of them before February's deadline could be on the table."

Bailey also introduces his prediction by saying, "with apologies to Portland Trail Blazers fans," but this is precisely the type of finish Blazers fans should want. The Blazers must finish with a bottom-three record to secure the 14 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, which, in all likelihood, will be Duke forward Cooper Flagg.

If the Blazers are closer to ESPN's projected record rather than Bleacher Report's, they should seriously consider trading away a significant player to hinder their record and improve their lottery odds. Especially given how stacked the 2025 draft class is expected to be.