Report: Blazers Expected to Shop No. 3 Pick on Trade Market to Help Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard gave the Portland Trail Blazers a very public directive: He has no interest in adding another teenager to the roster.

The Blazers seem prepared to oblige.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported league executives expect the Blazers to heavily shop the No. 3 overall pick in June's draft in an attempt to land a veteran piece next to Lillard. Most view the 2023 draft as a three-player class, with Victor Wembenyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller all projecting as future All-Stars.

The Blazers also publicly endorsed a Lillard-centric rebuild in an e-mail to fans after the completion of the draft lottery:

Portland's good lottery luck gives the franchise power it might not otherwise have to acquire a high-quality veteran via trade while also retaining forward Jerami Grant, who Lowe reported is expected to return on a new contract.

The Blazers are slated to have an estimated $13.4 million in cap space, so they will have to package a player or two in any deal to land a significant piece. If the Toronto Raptors decide to take on a rebuild, Portland could be a natural fit for Pascal Siakam, who fits in the roster trajectory and likely won't cost several future first-round picks.

It could be argued the Blazers' own best course of action is a rebuild using Lillard as the trade chip to turn around the sputtering organization. Neither Blazers ownership nor their front office appears willing to take that step, rewarding Lillard's loyalty by taking on the uphill battle to create a winner around the 33-year-old.

Even in a scenario where Portland is able to flip the No. 3 pick for a player on Siakam's level, that's still not a championship-caliber roster. Lillard has missed 77 games over the past two seasons and was only a third-team All-NBA selection in 2022-23. Siakam's a 29-year-old two-time All-Star, and he's likely the apex of their potential trade haul.

Jusuf Nurkić or Anfernee Simons would likely have to be included for salary-matching purposes in a trade for an All-Star. By the time the Blazers are done reconfiguring their roster, they might be able to cobble together a No. 4-5 seed in the West—the exact type of roster they just dismantled during the 2021-22 season.

There's something to be said for the Blazers feeling they "owe" Lillard one more run at a contender. But it's more likely both sides "owe" each other an honest conversation before Portland burns through a potential foundational piece for a short-term fix.