4 Reasons Joe Cronin deserves praise for the Trail Blazers' quiet trade deadline
![Joe Cronin, Portland Trail Blazers Joe Cronin, Portland Trail Blazers](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_347/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/34/01hp6zz9nype5dqgxa11.jpg)
The Blazers are already stocked with draft picks
Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, 11 NBA teams controlled 75 percent of all available first-round picks before Thursday's deadline. Portland is one of them. The franchise's full list of picks can be found here, but the Trail Blazers own two first-rounders this year, all of their own firsts through 2030 (unless they make the postseason between now and 2028); 2029 firsts via Milwaukee and Boston; and the possibility of two first-round swaps with the Bucks in 2028 and 2030.
Even including the Banton trade, Cronin also has access to seven second-rounders between now and 2030.
Scoot, Simons and Sharpe are franchise centerpieces who aren't going anywhere. Portland has Murray, Walker, Rupert, Toumani Camara and Duop Reath as developmental players who will likely stick around for a while. That's at least eight young players the Blazers already have under contract that represent some part of the franchise's future.
Add 12 first-round picks into the fray and Portland will be running out of space to add prospects to its rebuild, which leads to point No. 3.