Portland Trail Blazers: 5 options for pick No. 24 in 2018 NBA Draft
By Ty Delbridge
The Portland Trail Blazers are heading into this summer after a disappointing sweep in the playoffs. The Blazers need to improve their roster, and one of the ways they can do that is through the 24th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Unlike last summer where they had three first round picks, the Portland Trail Blazers will head into the 2018 NBA Draft with only one first-rounder. The Blazers have their own draft pick, and since they had one of the best records in the NBA this season, they will be drafting towards the end of the first round at No. 24.
The Blazers have five guys who are set to be free agents this summer and are already over the salary cap next season with the guy they have under contract. For starters, they need to make a choice on Jusuf Nurkic, who is set to be a restricted free agent, figuring out if they want to pay him long-term money to be their starting center.
They also have to decide if they are going to bring back veteran Ed Davis, who had a good season and has been one of the leaders on this team both on the court and in the locker room. Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton, and Wade Baldwin IV are also set to hit the market.
In last summer’s draft, the Blazers traded up to into the top 10 to take big man Zach Collins. They then selected big man Caleb Swanigan with their final pick in the first round. Do they Blazers bring back Davis and Nurkic since they drafted two guys who play the same positions?
Rip City needs to save all the money it can, and having guys who can play, help you win and be on a cheaper rookie contract is very beneficial. That’s why I think Collins and Swanigan are essential for the team’s future and why the Blazers need to capitalize on their pick this season. They must have reliable players on cheap contracts since they overpaid for guys a couple of summers ago.
They obviously won’t have a chance to grab a franchise-changing player like Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, or Marvin Bagley III unless they make some blockbuster trade to enter the top five. But they will have a chance to draft a guy who can fill needs this team has and develop into a meaningful role player. Plenty of guys have been selected late in the draft and have carved out roles in the NBA — guys like Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon and Patrick McCaw, to name a few.