The "what if" moment that changed every NBA team forever
By Cal Durrett
Portland Trail Blazers: What if the Blazers hadn't passed on Jordan and Durant?
In 1984, the Blazers infamously decided against selecting Michael Jordan third overall due to already having Clyde Drexler. That proved to be arguably the greatest draft mistake in NBA history. Jordan would go on to win six MVPs, six championships, and 10 scoring titles, as well as beat the Trail Blazers in the 1994 NBA Finals. Mistakes happen, even egregious ones, but rarely twice. It did for the Blazers, however.
In 2006, they opted to take Gregg Oden first overall, despite injury concerns, instead of Kevin Durant. Oden played just 82 games over the course of four seasons in Portland, making him another historic draft bust for the team. Meanwhile, Durant will soon enter year 17 and has proven to be one of the 25 best players in NBA history. The Blazers now find themselves staring down a long rebuild but have hopefully managed to strike gold by selecting Scoot Henderson third overall in the 2023 NBA draft.
Still, even if he turns into a superstar, it won't erase the fact that they could have paired the greatest player in league history with another Hall of Famer in Drexler. Also, had Portland taken Durant, they may have won several championships in the 1990s and possibly in the 2010s.