Trail Blazers Among 3 'Most Vocal' Teams Looking to Trade Up for Better Draft Pick

Portland currently has the Nos. 7 and 14 picks in the lottery.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Damian Lillard (Weber State), right, is introduced as the number six overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers by NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports / Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers number among the two "most aggressive" clubs looking to trade up for the Houston Rockets' No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, along with the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Iko notes that Memphis and Charlotte have been fairly aggressive, notably omitting Portland from that list.

Sources tell Iko that the Blazers, Hornets and Grizzlies all like the games of two-time reigning champion University of Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan and University of Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, both of whom are being strongly considered by the Rockets if they opt to hold on to their pick this year.

The Portland Trail Blazers have the Nos. 7 and 14 selections in the lottery, plus the Nos. 34 and 40 picks in the second round of this year's draft. Charlotte, meanwhile, has the No. 6 pick in the lottery and the No. 42 selection in the second round, while the Grizzlies have the Nos. 9, 39 and 57 picks.

Clingan, a 7-foot-2 sophomore, was named an NCAA All-Tourney selection for his efforts in guiding UConn to another title this spring. Across his 35 contests for the Huskies this year, he averaged 13 points on 63.9 percent shooting from the floor and 58.3 percent shooting from the foul line, 7.4 rebounds, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 steals a night. Sheppard, a 6-foot-3 freshman guard, was the SEC Rookie of the Year and a 2024 All-SEC selection. He averaged 12.5 points on a .536/.521/.831 slash line, 4.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds during his 33 games with the Wildcats (just five starts).

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