Having acquired a first-rounder from the Nets and a second-rounder from the Rockets in addition to their own selections, the Trail Blazers head into this June's draft holding four picks. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're done dealing. According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, Portland could explore trades for one or both of its first-round picks when the season ends.
"That's definitely something that would be appealing for us," said acting GM Chad Buchanan. "A big part of acquiring that pick (from the Nets), we realize that there'll be value not only to us in the draft but also to other teams where you might be able to flip that high pick into a proven player that is ready to help your team now.
"At the end of the day, if it's two lottery picks in a pretty strong draft, we're okay adding that to our team and trying to add the proven veterans through free agency," Buchanan continued. "We like to have the flexibility to do either…. We're open to moving one of those picks for a proven player. But we also like a lot of the players that could potentially be in that draft range. We feel like it's kind of a win-win for us."
The pick the Blazers acquired from New Jersey is top-three protected, so there's no guarantee it will be transferred to Portland this summer. However, if it is, the Blazers have a great shot at owning two of the top ten picks in what's expected to be a deep draft. Howard-Cooper says the Blazers will explore packaging both picks, or a pick and a player, to potentially move up even higher, though those scenarios are unlikely.
Ultimately, Blazers management is unlikely to want to bring four rookies to camp next season, so the team figures to make some sort of trade, even if it just means moving a second-rounder or two.