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NBA Draft rumors: Blazers leaning no trade, Wizards focus in, Hawks looking to trade up

By Jonathan Lurensky

Jan 30, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) makes his ways to the locker room after a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) makes his ways to the locker room after a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Scoot Henderson, NBA Draft Rumors
Scoot Henderson. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports) /

NBA Draft rumors: Trail Blazers leaning towards not trading the third overall pick

According to Jonathan Givony, the Trail Blazers are looking at keeping the third overall pick. It seems like they want to pick whoever is left after the Hornets — either Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller. This is a potentially dramatic decision considering Damian Lillard has made subtle threats that he would ask for a trade if the Blazers keep the No. 3 pick instead of trading it for a win-now veteran.

The best situation for the Trail Blazers might be to keep the pick and trade Lillard. There really doesn’t seem to be a way to get a player who can be the second option to a Lillard championship team. They may want to start the rebuild before Lillard ages out of prime value. Henderson or Miller could end up being a superstar in this league and the Blazers may be able to have a franchise player going forward right after trading Damian Lillard. They would also be able to get a bunch of picks for the future, including picks that could be way off into the future.

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