Oregon Live

Now that the draft lottery has been completed, it’s time to focus on the June 22 NBA draft. The Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in an interesting position after coming away with the No. 3 pick in Tuesday’s lottery. Why? Because the Blazers have no intention of actually using the pick. The goal, once again reiterated by an NBA source to The Oregonian/OregonLive, is to trade the pick for a veteran star player, or two, who could help Damian Lillard lead the Blazers into contention. If the Blazers actually use the pick, it would be because they failed to find a trade partner. And that could mean that they also failed to add enough talent to make the Blazers relevant next season.