Unfortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers are all too familiar with "what if" scenarios that have haunted their franchise. All 30 NBA teams have a few events that were turning points in the direction of their franchise, but the Blazers seem to have the short end of the stick in that regard.
Their "what if" scenarios primarily involve unfortunate injuries, including Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, and, of course, picking Sam Bowie over arguably the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. But Portland had another close call in the 2023 NBA Draft, missing out on the Rookie of the Year, San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.
What if the Blazers landed Victor Wembanyama?
In the 2022-23 NBA season, the Blazers finished with a 33-49 record, which was the fifth-worst in the NBA. They shut down superstar Damian Lillard for the remainder of the season in hopes of landing a better draft pick; this resulted in a 10.5 percent chance of landing the top pick and, subsequently, a generational talent in Wembanyama.
Instead, the Blazers missed out on securing the No. 1 overall pick by one ping-pong ball. They drafted No. 3 overall, selecting G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson. He had a rocky transition to the NBA, missing out on NBA All-Rookie Team honors.
But to Henderson's credit, he had a solid finish to his rookie season post-All-Star break and could be a breakout candidate in his sophomore season with the Blazers. However, this isn't about Henderson; it's more about the generational talent that is Wembanyama, perhaps the best draft prospect since LeBron James entered the league in 2003.
Damian Lillard likely would have stayed with the Blazers
It's hard to envision Lillard requesting a trade from Portland had they landed Wemby. He's always been loyal to the Blazers and wanted to make it work in Portland, a city he has shown much love and appreciation for. The problem was always the Blazers' lack of a supporting cast surrounding Lillard.
Drafting Henderson made it even more complicated since he played the same position as Dame. Had it been Wemby, the Blazers would have had arguably one of the best duos in the entire league. It would have been a lethal pick-and-roll duo for which teams would have no answer defensively. But Wemby would have also been the perfect complementary star to surround Lillard with on the defensive end.
If there's one knock on Dame, it's that he's a defensive liability. "The Alien" is 7-foot-4 and already a strong candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year entering his second season. He would have compensated for any of Lillard's defensive weaknesses.
The Blazers aren't known to be an attractive free-agency destination. Still, with Lillard, Wembanyama, and a promising young core, including Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons, they likely would have attracted many veterans willing to sign on for the minimum in hopes of winning a championship.
Add barely missing out on Wembanyama to Portland's painfully long list of "what ifs."