Now, let’s look at just who Portland might be targeting. The players most likely to represent a value in this range are Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Wesley Johnson. I can’t imagine Cole Aldrich or Greg Monroe going that high at this point in the draft. However, if Portland can consolidate talent with a trade up to the third or fourth pick and then trade back down to say… eighth, and get the player they want plus some value to make up for trading to third, then maybe those players factor in. Ockham’s Razor would suggest that the Blazers want someone at three or four, however, Ockham was not consulted when the Collective Bargaining Agreement was drafted.
• Today we’ll look at what seems to me to be the most obvious candidate, Wesley Johnson. Here is his DraftExpress profile and his NBAdraft.net profile . Chad Ford says that Johnson is an athletic swingman who can shoot, run the floor and rebound. He may not have star potential, but Ford thinks Johnson can come in and immediately contribute.
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/wesley-johnson
My take: A long, athletic shooter with a quick release and good separation? I’ll take him and give him all of Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez’s minutes. Both Johnson and Nicolas Batum can play and defend multiple positions, run the floor, and stroke it from deep. While there is significant overlap, I think both players can play at the same time. Especially with a playmaker like Andre Miller or Brandon Roy on the floor or a player like Jerryd Bayless who can create penetration. The only question is, at what cost? The first transaction I could think of off the top of my head was Andre Miller, Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez, and the 22nd pick for Devin Harris and the 3rd pick. Then, presumably Portland would target a backup point guard with the Mid Level Exception. That’s a high price, but Portland is left with a starting lineup of Harris, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, and Oden with Camby, Johnson, and the MLE point guard on the bench. Would that trade be worth it? Do you have a better idea? Let us know.
atterson would be a steal for the Blazers if he slips this low. While he does little to wow you, he's the type of unselfish, productive big man who will fit well in the Blazers' system.
