The Portland Trail Blazers are in a prime position to add another core piece to their rebuilding roster with the No. 11 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. With so much talent in this draft class, someone has to fall to them. But there's one problem: we know these prospects are promising, but how do they fit into the Blazers' young core?
There's a chance Kasparas Jakučionis is off the board before 11. At that point, none of the other top prospects in their range -- Egor Demin, Derik Queen, Collin Murray-Boyles, Noa Essengue -- are reliable shooters. That's concerning for a Blazers team where shooting is their biggest weakness, particularly amongst their up-and-coming players.
The upside may take precedence, and we're fine if they eventually decide to simply stand pat and address their shooting problem elsewhere. However, the Blazers must be open-minded and explore all possible draft trade scenarios.
Landing the Spurs' No. 14 pick
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic noted in his recent mock draft that "San Antonio could move [the No. 14 pick] if its preferred targets aren't on the board," according to league sources.
The Spurs were in a similar position last year when they selected Stephon Castle at No. 4 and then traded the No. 8 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who went on to select Rob Dillingham. This should be intriguing to the Blazers in particular because of the one tie they have to the Spurs: the Milwaukee Bucks.
Vecenie proposes that San Antonio trade this pick to New Orleans to get some of Milwaukee's future draft capital to make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo should he become available at some point over the next year. That same thought process can apply to Portland.
The Blazers would be in an ideal spot with two lottery picks in a strong class, giving them flexibility to address multiple needs. Perhaps they take Demin and Carter Bryant, gambling on two high-upside prospects. They could even decide to package the picks to move up in the draft if they have their sights set on a particular prospect that won't fall to 11.
Trading back with the Magic, Nets, Thunder, or Hawks
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line that they are "expecting a ton of movement in the back end of the first round and the top of the second round." The Blazers should get in on the action, particularly with a team with multiple first-round picks potentially looking to trade up.
The Magic are one option at picks No. 16 and 25. They could make sense as a trade partner even without giving up the No. 11 pick, especially if Anfernee Simons is included in the deal.
Other teams include Brooklyn, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.
The Nets have four first-round picks (8, 19, 26, and 27) and could make sense as a team that consolidates to land two lottery picks.
It's inevitable that the Thunder make some move as they have all 15 players under contract for next season and must make room for picks 15, 24, and 44.
The Hawks are the most recent development, with Fischer reporting, "Various sources have indicated that they do believe the Hawks will fall right in line with Oklahoma City, Orlando, and Brooklyn as teams with multiple picks in the mid-to-late first round exploring various avenues to move up the draft board."
Fischer notes that rival teams expect Atlanta to target a big man with their pick as a replacement for free agent Clint Capela. That's why the Blazers at 11 are an intriguing trade partner. There's a noticeable tier gap between Derik Queen and the next-best center in the draft. Should Queen fall to 11 and Atlanta be interested, it could make sense for Portland to trade back a few spots and pick up other assets.