The Portland Trail Blazers have been in the news nonstop this week over their position in the 2023 NBA Draft and how it will influence the organization’s future with Damian Lillard.
Everyone seems to agree that, if Portland doesn’t utilize their No. 3 overall pick in a way that nets them a star player to team up with Lillard, he will look to be traded.
According to Brian Windhorst, a big trade may be brewing between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland.
Only not for the No. 3 overall pick.
“The pick I keep hearing about is 23 with Portland,” Windhorst said.
“Where I have actionable intelligence is pick 23. The Cavs, from what I understand, have had a lot of talks with the Blazers, not just for the 23rd pick. I think they have some interest in Nassir Little, who was a forward who was injured for a lot of last year but has already signed his contract extension.
“I think the Cavs have liked him in the past. That’s a guy they have interest in so it may not even involve a pick. It may involve Nassir Little and a pick, or maybe nothing.”
Windhorst then reiterated that the conversations were specifically regarding the Blazers’ No. 23 selection, not their much-discussed No. 3 overall pick.
Little has all the tools necessary to be a solid role player, but he has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. If Portland can get any sort of return for him, he’ll likely be shipped out.
As for the No. 23 pick – the same logic applies to it as the No. 3 overall selection. The Blazers want veteran talent around Lillard. By whatever means necessary.
So far Portland has been linked to one superstar ahead of the draft, but time will tell if anything can materialize on that front.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/TxaW1WcbsN
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 21, 2023
One way or another, the next day promises to be interesting.
What the Blazers do here will shape the future of the franchise for many years to come.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
