Portland Trades #44 and cash for #34
Nathan Begley | Monday, June 21, 2010 at 1:02PM Did you hear that? It’s the sound of the first domino falling:
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired the 34th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the 44th overall selection and cash considerations, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard.
The Trail Blazers now hold the 22nd and 34th overall picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
So what do we take away from this maneuver? First, despite appearances, Kevin Pritchard is not a lame duck (EDIT: at least not until after the draft) and has the green light to make moves. Secondly, either there is someone the Blazers want that is projected to drop early in the second round (Like Craig Brackens, Gani Lawal, Brain Zoubek, or Darington Hobson) or the Blazers feel that this is a deep enough draft to be willing to position themselves to catch a player who slides. Alternatively, Portland could be looking to package picks to move up even higher.
Either way, this “adjustment in position” is great news for the franchise because it shows a willingness and determination to improve the roster and it’s great news for me because I love the draft and it looks like Kevin Pritchard is going to make my “Christmas in June” as entertaining as ever.
What do you think this move means? Who would you take with the 34th pick? Let us know in the comments below.
Reader Comments (6)
says more about allen's willingness to spend money than it does about kp's status.
Right, this is the time of year when I close my eyes really tight and just wait for Thursday to be over. Speculation is fun, but makes me crazy.
@Ben
Sorry, I should have clarified, he's not a lame duck until after the draft, e.g. he's been given power to make moves up to, and during the draft.
gani lawal
I think this means that Paul Allen is willing to spend 2 million dollars to draft a scrub at #33 to pay a paltry non-guaranteed contract for 500k when he could have settled for a scrub at #44 to pay a paltry non-guaranteed contract for 500k. ???
How is this helping? 2nd round draft picks RARELY are difference makers in the long term, and last I checked we have a pair of scrappy 2nd rounders from last year. This team needs skilled vets, not young pups.
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