The Portland Trail Blazers own some of the greatest what-if moments in NBA history. They have just missed out on drafting multiple legendary players, including the GOAT, and have been bitten by the injury bug one too many times. Yes, Portland has employed some all-time greats, but they only have one championship to show for it.
Things could have been extremely different if they nailed the draft. The issues date back to the franchise’s inception in the 1970s and should be a key lesson for the current Blazers. They are never going to be a free-agent destination, which makes the draft and trades that much more important.