Portland Trail Blazers NBA Draft: Grades for every draft day move

Despite the Portland Trail Blazers entering the 2024 NBA Draft with four picks, they ended up coming away with only one player in the draft. However, due to their lottery pick and intelligent trades, they were still one of the draft's biggest winners. Here's how the draft unfolded:

Pick No. 7: Donovan Clingan

Getting someone in No. 1 pick talks leading up to the draft at No. 7 is an amazing value. We've known that the Blazers were very interested in Donovan Clingan for weeks; the only question was if he would be available at No. 7 or if the team would have to trade up to get him. Luckily, the stars aligned perfectly, and the Blazers got their guy.

Clingan projects to be an elite rim-protector that could give the Blazers a real defensive identity. There are many questions about what this pick means for Deandre Ayton, and that remains to be seen. It's possible that the Blazers try to run a Towns/Gobert type of frontcourt if they trust Ayton enough outside of the paint. Clingan could also be an intimidating bench threat behind Ayton, or Ayton may be out of the picture entirely.

Regardless, Clingan will do what he does best - block shots, pull in boards, and catch lobs from his guards. He can be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate at his best, and at his worst, he'll still be a presence in the paint. He's going to be a breath of fresh air for this team. Blazers fans should be very excited about this pick.

Grade: A