The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t take position into mind when selecting Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The big man out of UConn was considered to be the best player on the Blazers’ big board, and the team took him without hesitation when he was still available when Portland was on the clock.
Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes didn’t knock the pick, but he did question why the Blazers are stockpiling centers.
With DeAndre Ayton, Robert Williams III and Duop Reath already on the roster, they grabbed UConn big man Donovan Clingan at No. 7 in the draft. That decision might count as Portland’s miscalculation all by itself, but we’re considering it as part of a larger conundrum.
The Blazers will have a harder time shipping out Ayton, Williams or Reath if their roles are all limited by a positional logjam. It’s not like any of them have the skills to play together in two-big sets. On top of that, potential suitors will know Portland is in a bit of a bind and that they can at least start trade talks with lowball offers.
If the Blazers are justified in believing Clingan was the best player available, more power to them. But adding yet another 5 to a team already overloaded at the position could make it harder to get good value in subsequent trades.
The Blazers likely figured having too many players and lowering trade value on other centers was still worth it despite the risk. Clingan has to be able to prove the Blazers right for picking him, otherwise this move will continue to have consequences down the line.
