The next fortnight will dictate the destiny of this current Portland Trail Blazers era as the front office works to deliver a roster that appeases superstar Damian Lillard. The hours leading into Thursday’s draft provided President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey a chance to kickstart said appeasement by dealing CJ McCollum in a bid to balance the Blazers roster.
The ability for teams to wheel and deal before and during the draft typically allows for the swift movement of picks as teams key in on their preferred young player(s). This was still the case for the Blazers despite the team owning zero picks.