Predict What the Trail Blazers Will Do in the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is exactly one week away. The Portland Trail Blazers hold the third overall pick, a powerful and flexible position. By now you’ve heard all the possible scenarios. Will Portland be tempted by the siren song of a Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller? Will they draft one of those players to trade them for veteran help? Or will they split the middle, moving slightly downward while maintaining rookie credibility?

One week out, here’s your chance to make the call. Remember, this is not what you want the Blazers to do, but what you think they will actually do.

Will Portland...

A. Keep the pick and the rookie they draft with it, figuring Henderson or Miller will improve the franchise enough to fulfill their immediate criteria?

B. Trade the pick for a veteran or veterans, possibly with much less significant draft compensation (say, trading out of the lottery)? Note that this could happen before/during the draft or we could hear reports that the Blazers are selecting for another team, with the deal to be executed when the new fiscal year starts in July.

To clarify, trading with the Brooklyn Nets for players and the 22nd pick in this year’s draft would qualify as THIS option, not the next one, as the draft compensation is an accessory in the deal, not a centerpiece.

C. Trade down in the lottery to get a veteran AND a promising rookie. An example would be trading down to the 7th pick to get Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers. In this case, the pick remains a central part of the swap.

Make your call in the comment section below! Serious bonus points if you predict the exact deal and/or player selected.