It was hard to swallow losing the additional pick for this NBA draft from the New Orleans Pelicans once they made the playoffs, and as it turns out, the Portland Trail Blazers’ front office had high hopes for that pick, per Jake Fischer at Bleacher Report.
Through conversations with NBA personnel, it was clear that Portland staffers were working under the assumption they would have two lottery picks at their disposal. The Blazers’ interest in trading at least one of those picks to acquire Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant has been one of the worst-kept secrets in NBA circles.