What they should do, is just draft the player with the most potential and plan out for long term

What they actually do, is try and get us back to being a 46 win team to support Dame. I love Dame, but we just don't have a competing roster and it's really not even close

Blazers get Jerami Grant with Milwaukee's 2025 first-round pick they got in the McCollum trade and a bunch of exchanged second round picks in 2025 and 2026. That's not a bad deal since they essentially turned CJ and Nance into Hart and Grant. Certainly seems they're going to use the 7th pick unless they somehow plan on swinging it for other players/picks.

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So, one first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a trade down from 36 to 46. That's a very stiff price for a one-year rental, unless they think they can sign him to a new deal. I guess the good news is that the Blazers pick up a much-needed scorer, although the 3 pt percentage isn't great. It also seems likely they were holding back #7 to actually use, which seems like a positive. The bad news is that a lot of the trade chips are gone - all those picks, plus the $21 million in cap space we were told was being reserved for a top free agent. Not sure a guy only signed through the upcoming season was the best use of those assets. More 'Win Now'.

Still, Grant will likely be playing his best ball next year since it is a contract year. The tanking is over.

Re-sign Nurk and Simons, draft a wing that can play defense at 7 and a project big at the four to replace Elleby, and then there might be room for one more mid-range free-agent signing like an Ed Davis or Aminu type. Could be a playoff team. Not a contender, probably, unless the draftee blows up in his rookie year. Just waiting for Lillard to finish making all his money so the team can be good again.

Blazers pick Shaedon Sharpe with the 7th pick. Unless they're still working on a trade, they've got their man for the time being.

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No late 1st is going to put up Grants number. Basically anything outside the lottery is like trading a 3-4 round NFL pick. 2nd round picks are like 5-7th rounders in the NFL draft.

Blazers take Colorado F Jabari Walker with their final pick of the draft. Possibly a guy who could turn into a dependable bench guy if he develops.

Sounds like Portland was really burning up the phone lines looking to make some deals but couldn't find one they liked. It does look like Dame is okay with them picking Sharpe.

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Is this a good time to point out that Grant himself was a second-round pick?

Anyway, I don't think this trade is as obviously bad as, say, signing Evan Turner. I just hate to see picks going out every year for middling players just to keep Lillard happy. I'm really glad it looks like they are keeping Sharpe, and they drafted the project post player as I suspected they would. I don't get the trade of pick 46 for what looks like a worse pick in two years...that makes me think it was Portland's idea to ditch the pick. I've never seen a present pick going for a worse future pick before, and I keep hoping there was more to that trade than is being reported. Nobody asked about it in the presser.

So many times, I came away from Olshey drafts disappointed or angry. I feel like this draft was more of a sensible, if unspectacular draft process. They are taking a risk with Sharpe compared to who else was available, but there are rumblings that he could be a really good player, so hopefully it works out.

Oh man, what a relief! I was on pins and needles wondering how Dame felt about the team keeping a draft pick once every few years to maybe have a future after he is done being overpaid.

Your hate for Dame is just so weird.

Part of the reasoning (which came from some supposed insiders) for dropping from #46 was they were targeting Memphis' Josh Minott with that pick and then once he was gone, they moved on to their next pick with Jabari Walker.

Whatever, I find your Lillard idolatry equally weird. The man has basically hamstrung the team his entire career. Anyone with sense would watch first round exits year after year, culminating in this year's lottery and question if we should still be bowing to everything Lillard wants. Unlike Lillard, I am from Oregon, and I would like my team to actually be good at some point.

Not sure why you think I somehow idolize him when I'm just posting things about the situation in Portland, which still includes Dame (no matter how much you bitch and moan and be all negative.) It's not Lillard's fault that Olshey was an awful GM when it came to the draft, free agency, putting accurate value on the team's players, and being an honest, decent person.

I'm not actually being all negative - I have been generally positive about Cronin's moves since he was promoted. More positive than you, in fact, if you read prior posts in this thread. It just looks like I'm negative to you because I don't worship at the Lillard altar.

It IS Lillard's fault that Olshey gave him the money that should have gone to free agents to make the team better. It is also Lillard's fault that Olshey traded away draft picks for player rentals the last several years - they openly said it was to bring in help and 'Win Now' for Lillard's sake. It is also Lillard's fault that he sucks at playing defense and so the Blazers have had to compensate at other positions with heavily defensive players who are not scoring threats and then the Blazers get smoked by other teams in the playoffs because all they have to do is double-team him. I am tired of the direction of the team being dictated by Lillard because he threatens to leave if he doesn't like the moves the Blazers make. I'm not reacting to you posting it, just the fact that anyone in management still listens to Lillard after he brought the team to this point. It's really time to move on from what Lillard thinks about anything. Hopefully, they are just letting him into the meetings to make him feel better while they draft his replacement.

For every 1 Grant I can point out 1000 2nd rounders who did nothing.