5 Sleepers Portland Trail Blazers should target in 2024 NBA Draft
By Reese Kunz
2. Kyshawn George, Guard/Forward, Miami
Kyshawn Geroge is an under-the-radar prospect as a 6-foot-7 wing with tremendous ballhandling and shooting. He made 40.8 percent of his three points this season at Miami. The Blazers' most glaring roster needs this offseason are shooting, positional size, and finding more versatile, two-way wings. George checks every single one of these boxes for Portland.
George is going to be a steal for whatever team ultimately selects him. The challenging part for the Blazers is that if they are interested in someone like George, they will likely have to move to get him. He could be worth the No. 14 pick. But, in terms of maximizing value, selecting George inside the lottery is too rich of draft capital to spend on a relatively raw prospect who only averaged 7.8 points per game this season. Still, given his upside, it's unlikely that he will fall into the second round.
The Phoenix Suns, holding the No. 22 pick, could be a strategic trade partner for the Blazers. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Suns are open to trading down from their pick due to their lack of draft capital after "splurging to acquire Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal". The Blazers, with their two second-round picks, No. 34 and No. 40, could initiate a trade to move up to No. 22. However, it's likely that additional assets would be required to seal the deal.