It may seem obvious, but one of the bright spots in a likely-rough 2024-25 season for the Portland Trail Blazers will be the hope of finishing high in the 2025 NBA Draft order. NBA lottery ping pong balls bounce as they will, but the Blazers will be in the business of collecting as many as possible before the drawing next may.
That reality was recognized today by Ricky O’Donnell, writing for MSN, as he detailed the teams in the running for prize pick Cooper Flagg. The young phenom is headed to Duke for a year, then is expected to offer his services to whichever NBA team ends up with the first overall pick next June.