The Portland Trail Blazers have two lottery picks, but they could move up in next month’s NBA Draft.
In a trade idea from Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Blazers would send Jerami Grant and the No. 14 overall pick to the Houston Rockets for Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason and the No. 3 overall pick.
Word got around quickly that Houston could try flipping the No. 3 pick for established talent, but finding the right match could be tricky. The Rockets don’t need a point guard or a center, but they do need more three-point volume than someone like Brandon Ingram provides. They also might not be quite ready to cough up the number of assets needed to snag a star like Donovan Mitchell.
But what about trading down to upgrade their current talent level and still retain a lottery pick? That possibility should have this front office’s attention, as consolidating some assets may be required sooner than later given how many up-and-comers Houston will eventually have to pay.
While the Rockets will have to worry about paying their homegrown talent, trading Eason and the No. 3 overall pick in a package for Grant isn’t in the cards.
You could make the argument the Blazers get the three best assets in the entire deal, so the Rockets would almost certainly say no to this offer.
However, trying to move up into the lottery should be something the Blazers look at, especially if there’s a prospect the team falls in love with.