The Portland Trail Blazers select UConn center and back-to-back NCAA national champion Donovan Clingan in two out of the four drafts in Rip City Project's mock draft roundup for pick No. 7. Recent reports indicate that Clingan won't fall further than the Blazers on draft day. According to ESPN senior writer Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post podcast, "That is his absolute floor. If he is there at No. 7, Portland is taking him."
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Potential landing spots for Donovan Clingan
If Clingan is available at No. 7, the Blazers are interested in adding the 7-foot-2 rim protector to their rebuilding puzzle. However, it remains to be seen if Clingan will be on the board by the time Portland is on the clock.
This is an uncertain draft with no clear-cut tiers. However, assuming some combination of Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher go No. 1 and No. 2, Clingan's draft range likely seems to be anywhere between No. 3 and No. 7. If that’s the case, the remaining teams selecting before the Blazers all have promising centers—Houston (No. 3) has Alperen Sengun, San Antonio (No. 4) has Victor Wembanyama, Detroit (No. 5) has Jalen Duren, and Charlotte (No. 6) has Mark Williams.
If no team trades up to get Clingan, it’s possible he is still available at pick No. 7. And if he is, the Blazers appear to be extremely interested in securing their big man of the future.
What would drafting Clingan mean for Ayton's future in Portland?
If the Blazers land Clingan, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of "DominAyton" for them. Joe Cronin could potentially use this opportunity to see how the two centers play next season. Ayton had an extremely promising stretch to the end of this season. The Blazers could give him another season in Portland to see if his productivity will be consistent.
For Clingan, it will be more difficult to project how well he will do in the NBA in just one season. However, you can still get a sense of how some aspects of his game will translate, such as his rebounding and rim protection. It also helps that centers adjust quicker to the NBA than guards. In drafting Clingan and keeping Ayton, the Blazers would increase their odds of finding their long-term center to pair alongside the rest of their foundational core.