The collegiate field has been whittled down to just 16 teams in this year’s March Madness entry, and the Portland Trail Blazers are still clinging to a late lottery pick. If the season ended today, Portland would find itself locked into the play-in tournament as the ethereal 9 seed, locked into an elimination game with either the Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Clippers.
The Blazers are approaching the point in the rebuild where they can afford to draft for fit over raw talent, with second-rounders and two-way deals used to plug leaks in the hull. The Blazers have a second-round pick this year, provided Memphis wins more games than New Orleans moving forward. That pick will likely fall to 43 if it conveys.
As it stands, the Blazers are currently in possession of the 12th pick in the draft, and with the NCAA tournament field cleaved down to just a quarter of the teams, there are some players remaining that could feasibly be Trail Blazers come late June.
Nate Ament, F, Tennessee
Next match: versus #2 Iowa State, 3/27 7:10pm PST
Heading into the NCAA’s 2025-26 season, Nate Ament was projected as an early lottery pick. As the season unfolded, Ament’s standing shifted downward. A freshman on a team otherwise bereft of NBA talent, Ament was expected to be the guy, a toolsy wing with eye-popping measurements and dripping with potential.
While Ament’s hyped skills as a shooter, playmaker, and lengthy defender began to round the corner late into the regular season, he has thus far been a complete non-factor in the tournament, with his team advancing to the Sweet 16 in spite of his play rather than because of it. Through the first two games of the tournament, Ament has put up just 16 total points on 4-14 shooting, including a goose egg against Tennessee’s first-round matchup with Miami.
As it stands, Ament looks like a project and doesn’t appear to be ready to immediately contribute to winning NBA basketball at this point in time. Ament wouldn’t start on day one, which may be a silver lining with the Blazers' core beginning to crystallize.
Dailyn Swain, F, Texas
Next match: versus #2 Purdue, 3/26 4:10pm PST
Nearly diametrically opposite to Ament, Swain wasn’t as heavily recruited out of high school and initially committed to Xavier in his home state before entering the transfer portal after two seasons in Cincinnati. In his three seasons across two schools, he’s increased his statistical output dramatically, improving in all percentages and most counting stats each year.
Swain projects as a “high-floor” player; drafting him is more of a luxury pick when a team has most of its core cast assembled—a position that the Blazers may find themselves in at the start of next season.
Texas wasn’t meant to go on a run this deep as a “First Four” team. They had to play an extra game to qualify for the tournament, and Swain’s seamless switchability is a big reason why. He plays very well within himself as an offensive connector and is among the country’s leaders in Player Efficiency Rating. If Texas continues this Cinderella run, there’s an outside chance Swain won’t be there at 12—yesterday’s price isn’t today’s price.
Yaxel Lendeborg F, Michigan
Next match: versus #4 Alabama, 3/27 4:35pm PST
If Lendeborg were a freshman, he would be well out of the Blazers’ range; he’s a high-energy big that guards multiple positions and is an excellent passer and playmaker. Fortunately for Portland, Lendeborg will be 24 before he sets foot on the court, where he could slot into the Robert Williams III role with the added bonus of being able to share the floor with Donovan Clingan. The Blazers can only benefit from a switchable player that can provide big-time dirty-work defense once Clingan is off the floor or when the opposing team is deploying a mobile big that feasts against drop coverage.
Lendeborg has a unique trajectory that found him taking up basketball far later than his peers, playing just 11 high school varsity games before committing to Arizona Western Community College, where he played for three years. Eventually, Lendeborg transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he continued to improve for another two seasons. He entered the combine but ultimately decided to enter the transfer portal to Michigan to prove he wasn’t beating up on lesser competition at UAB. He responded favorably, posting most of his best numbers yet despite working as one of three draft-bound bigs in the Wolverines’ frontcourt.