Portland Trail Blazers Land Donovan Clingan at No. 7 and Trade for Deni Avdija on NBA Draft Night 1

Portland Trail Blazers Land Donovan Clingan at No. 7 and Trade for Deni Avdija on NBA Draft Night 1

in today’s show an eventful night one of the NBA draft for the Blazers they kick things off with a major trade and then they stand Pat and get their guy at number seven welcome lockdown Blazers let’s get into [Music] it you are locked on Trailblazers your daily Portland Trailblazers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what up world pass first point guard and Trailblazers reporter Mike Richmond you are listening to another episode of Locked on Blazers part of locked on podcast network available wherever you get podcasts and also on YouTube thanks for making this show your first listen coming at you each and every weekday Monday through Friday so make it a part of your daily routine make your first listen tell your friends to do the same it’s lock on Blazers your team every day it was a big night one in the NBA draft for the Portland Trailblazers they stood Pat at 7 didn’t trade up didn’t trade out didn’t go anywhere and still got their guy the long coveted long rumored big man from Ukon Donovan klling and is coming to Portland the fighting pin Wheels got exactly who they wanted at number s and even before all of that happened they made a big splash sending out serious dra draft Capital to the Washington Wizards to acquire young Wing Denny AIA I’m going to get into all of that a fun night in dra in for for night one of the NBA draft um I for one I kind of missed the chaos of having the second uh second round drag on a little bit and being like who’s picking Who’s got what picks um but U it did move a little bit quicker and was a little less onerous for those of us who have to make a podcast so we’re through night one of the NBA draft we’re going to start with talking kingan uh the sort of drama surrounding that pick how I think it how he I think he fits and what it means for the Blazers in the mediates and medium term and then we’ll talk the Denny ABIA trade the Blazer sent out Malcolm brogon and some uh some two first round picks and two second round picks reportedly although the trade is not finalized and has not been has not been made official yet by either team as I’m recording this but uh they sent out you know a big package to get Denny AIA will’ll talk about what that means what the deal looks like and and what obdi is going to bring and kind of why the Blazers would make the move they made let’s start with kinging though and the draft cuz that’s what that’s what it is today this is this is draft night uh even though these things happened in out of order uh the the trade was reported first uh but the but the the pick is official let’s start there so the Blazers they’re at they’re long rumored to be interested in Donovan clinging you know I think it’s been reported by several outlets at the Blazers I know is reported by several outlet and and and shared with you here on this very program that the Blazers had had strong reported interest in Donan cling and it was very clear that that was that was one of their main their main targets right um it was rumored that they had you know talk to Houston about trading up to three and that they would maybe discuss with Detroit or Charlotte about moving up to uh to five or six to make sure that they could get their guy but there was also some reporting that Memphis long coveted clinging as well and they have like a more obvious they’re like they’re just like a further along as a competitive team and and have this this glaring need for another big man and then maybe like especially like a low minute defensive and rebounding big man is kind of exactly what they need to kind of shore up some of their um some of their deficiencies and so there was once the draft started a little bit of a little bit of juice about what the Blazers were going to do not really at one and two um it was pretty clear that that Zachary reash was going to go one to to uh um to Atlanta and then Alex SAR who kind of angled himself to DC ends up in DC at two and then the Intrigue really starts three kind of four with with with San Antonio but three five and six it starts to be like okay these are Big these are Big moments for the Blazers what are they going to do are they going to are we going to you know find out that there’s a trade reported are we going to are we going to um or is or is Houston just going to make their pick and Houston makes their pick they take Reed Shepard at three ston Castle goes four and then Detroit and Charlotte back Tob back at five and six and this is where it really gets intriguing Detroit kind of um was the first like truly surprising pick of the draft it was basically chalked to that point um you know that many many prognosticators had those first four picks dead to rights and then you get to to Detroit and i’ mentioned a bunch of times in this program that it’s like H H with a brand new regime uh they don’t have a coach but it’s like a brand new front office uh with Tran Langdon it’s like there Detroit’s such a wild card they could do anything and they end up going Ron Holland a bit of a surprise at five but they don’t trade okay so the Blazers are still in line to get their guy right it’s very clear that to me that in terms of like realistic picks Donovan kingan is the Blazer’s Preferred Choice right he’s the guy they’re hoping Falls not any they would maybe go some other directions but if kingan is on the board at seven it was abundantly clear from the reporting particularly from ESPN that it was abundantly clear if if kingan was there at seven that’s where he that’s he was going to be a Portland Trailblazer five is Ron Holland six gets Juicy Jake fiser reports that that uh Charlotte and Memphis are working on a trade and it’s a done deal then he backtracks actually Charlotte’s still working on it then he uh while he’s he’s backtracking Charlotte still working on a deal with Memphis Adrian wowski of ESPN like during this same five minute periods he sends out a tweet that says um actually the uh another team to watch trying to trade up to six is also the Portland is Portland also the Portland Trailblazers so that means Memphis and port and Portland are both on the phones working with Charlotte’s new front office and saying hey can we strike a Zeal we’d love to you know Memphis is trying to Leap Frog Portland and Portland’s trying to keep Memphis back and say okay we’ll actually make these trades up and we’ll make these moves we’ll make a move and see if we get there instead nope not going anywhere wo reports Charlotte stain Pat Jake fiser reports charl Charlotte Stan Pat Shams jumps open there and says actually they’re taking TJ Salah it was reported earlier in the night by Chris PE of Yahoo sports that Salah had was getting interest and traction at six from the Hornets and sure enough Charlotte goes with salon at 6 which means the Blazers are on the clock kingan is there and bang the pick is made and the Blazers get Donovan kinging it was a spicy little it was a little six spicy little six minute run um that like that’s the fun part of the draft right I think some people don’t like um The Tipping picks and the tweeting and all that stuff I don’t I I like it I don’t mind it at all I like I find it an enjoyable way to follow the draft um maybe I’m the perfect mid-range Millennial maybe that I’m the perfect age to enjoy it I to me it’s um it’s a perfectly entertaining way to I I enjoyed that little stretch of of follow of of tracking the draft online and having having that having the juice from seeing if the blades were going to get their guy and they do so the Blazers get kingan Donovan kingan if nothing else is gigantic in socks at the NBA Combine he measured north of 71 with a 96 standing reach it’s 240 pounds one of the best uh defenders in college basketball last season a back-to-back national champion at at Yukon and and and had a really really good run through the NCA tournament to close out his college career uh I know Zack e scored 37 in the NCA the NCA final um CH Adventure on what happened in that game I’ve waigh in enough so I think um I I I’ve said here A bunch on the show and I I’ll reiterate here is like when I was going through who my picks would be I said that from the most from the when I kind of did the exercise of the most realistic picks that I thought would still be there that kingan was my Preferred Choice and that was over Cody Williams who was still on the board and ended up going 10 to to Utah that was over match pazel who ended up going to Chicago um and that Ron Holland was was the other guy I had on that list and he was he was already gone so it’s like Dalton connect maybe if you were really a Dalton connect guy he was still there he ended up slipping a little bit and going to the Lakers and the teens um but I you know I said like I’m kingan would probably be my pick of the realistic choices that are going to be there at seven I think he’s my top pick because I’m comfortable with him being an NBA Defender I think he’s going to be pretty good on defense he brings just a level of Rim protection he is not a scheme versatile big he’s a giant person there’s some Pro some realistic and real concerns about his lateral quickness I think he moves pretty well for someone who is 72250 72240 but he’s not that doesn’t make him quick it just means he’s he’s he maybe has better lateral movement in in the game and better like recovery speed and sort of the the um um you know his processing speed allows to make up for some of his slow foot speed he he’s better you know better at that than other players his size but he’s not particularly quick I think there’s some concerns about his foot speed he’s mostly going to be a drop big right he’s going to he’s going to guard the rim There’s real value in guarding the rim the most important thing that teams still do in the NBA is prevent layups and I think Donovan kingan will prevent layups I think he’s going to be fine at that he’s a pretty darn good passer and yukon’s offense is relatively complex and he was a hub on in out of the elbows and high post Hub as a as a passer and a dribble handoff guy I think he’s going to be an interesting playmaker in the NBA I think that translates I am worried and I’ve said this a bunch and this this is consistent with my sort of my thinking on kinging for the last month I don’t know exactly what else he’s going to do on offense um he’s not this like crazy leaper but he’s big enough and like big enough that he’s he’ll he can catch lobs but he’s not going to like jump up to 15 ft or whatever he’s just like he’s a normal Above the Rim threat for someone who’s 72 um he’ll be a he’ll be okay in that respect but he’s not like this super super super fast end to-end Speed Demon he’s not going to play at really high speed he doesn’t have any shooting range there’s been some reporting particularly from Jonathan gavone of ESPN that that Clingan has shot well from the outside um in in drills or in in in during the workout season workout sessions I don’t care about that like I don’t care about dudes shooting well in open gym sessions um if he if he eventually becomes a guy who shoots threes and is like a true threat as a five out shooter from three sure we’ll get there but he need that that includes accuracy and volume right now he has neither and he’s been a bad free throw shooter so it’s not like it’s like an obvious oh well he shot so you know he’s like a under 60% free throw shooter for his collegiate career his impact is going to be on defense and his impact is going to be as a passer but I would argue that it is more important for centers to be impactful as rebounders Defenders and as Playmakers than it will be for them to be good offensive players he can get garbage buckets he’ll be okay as a rle like an okay as sort of like a man in in in in simple reads and stuff and I think but his impacts will be felt in the ways that I think centers are most valuable additionally I’ve have some so I’m concerned a little bit about his offense I’m very comfortable with him being an impactful Defender as in in the long term I think he’s going to be just like straight up good as a defender in the NBA um his ceiling I think will be a little bit on how he can mitigate some of his offensive weaknesses not like can he shoot threes I think that is like just not really a concern it’s can he be Kavon Looney on offense can he be a really good dribble handoff player and can he run like simple pin down roll to the rim dunk type of plays can he get players open with setting physical screens can he make plays like it’s not necessarily his scoring the other thing that like in general why I I I mentioned this in a bunch of shows and I’ll say it again here is um if if you’re if you’re just tuning in now welcome if you’re a new listener shout out to my everyday appreciate y’all rocking with me as long as you do five days a week where free on all platforms including YouTube um but like drafting a single position player in the modern NBA comes with some risks it’s a it it is not a a truly positionist league but it is a league that prioritizes skill and versatility and kingan is not the most highly skilled player in the draft in terms of like dribble pass shoot skills um and and he’s a he’s a one position player he’s a center and he’s a true Center and his value will be being gigantic and protecting the rim but there is you know there is a relative lack of upside in drafting a straight Center size always matters it hasn’t gone out of style being big will still be valuable for Donovan kingan but um I do have some pause about his offensive upside and his overall um and just in general like taking a center with the seventh pick in the NBA draft in 2024 that said the reason why I’ve been comfortable with him at seven the reason why I said he was probably my choice um do sort of doing the exercise is cu I’m comfortable with his floor I’m comfortable with his impact and clearly the blaz are deeply comfortable with him Joe Cronin told reporters after the draft at his at his media his press conference um his media availability that they liked kinging after year one after his freshman season at Yukon the scouts were all over him and they tracked him very closely throughout the year this was the dude they wanted and they went and got him but it’s weird because I already have DeAndre aidon and it just when you have single position players that come it it forces you to to make a choice this pick comes with some changes that are going to be necessary down the line let’s talk about the inevitability that is coming for your Trailblazers in the second segment then we’ll talk a little Denny AIA to close the show join me there won’t you first though I want to tell you that Today’s Show is brought to you by game time it’s the place for last minute tickets it’s the app that rewards you if you’re a procrastinator if you’re a procrastinator how about this Blazers the excuse me the Portland Timbers got a so a soccer match on Saturday at Providence Park they host Minnesota United FC the loons are going to be in town and right now you can get a ticket in the Timbers Army that’s that’s a ga ticket in the TA you can stand you can sing you can play in the smoke when the timers score for $23 right now on the game time app 23 bucks go get in the building one of the great fan experiences in all of the Northwest standing with your brothers and sisters your brethren and sister in the Timbers Army game time is the spot for last minute tickets because it rewards you for procrastinating so you’re listening to this on Thursday well the game’s on Saturday and if you if you wait you could save up to 60% on last last minute tickets or you can just go ahead and take advantage of those Flash Deals like 23 bucks in the Timbers Army so take out the guesswork of buying tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account and use the code locked on NBA you’ll get $20 off your first purchase if that’s your first purchase you could go to the Timbers match for very little money again terms apply create an account use the redemption code locked on NBA that’s l o c k d o n NBA for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest prices [Music] guaranteed all right so Donovan kingan I like him I like the pick um there’s OB there’s some obvious caveats but I think the thing that he’ll I think the things that he’s he’s good at I want to worry about his strengths as opposed to his like perceived future skills like he’s going to shoot threes who cares um like the things that he actually does well be gigantic protect the rim those are valuable blaz one of the worst Rim protection teams in the League last year um they they kind of they they were a they were pretty competitive defense but never a really good one and for a while they kind of hung around as a competitive defense with some uh some good shooting luck and when that shooting luck went away they were kind of just a normal bad defense but I would say they improved they they they they’re um they took steps in the right direction but they still have some obvious obvious flaws and kingan steps into being someone who can answer those questions eventually kingan wasn’t a big minute guy in college he was a very low minute guy his freshman year in college as a backup and then his his his sophomore season it wasn’t like he was playing 30 some minutes a night he was not Zack Ed playing like every single minute of the NCA tournament he was playing you know they had quality backup the Quality quality backup big man behind him they like um they were and they and they went super small sometimes with no Center including at the end of the national championship game uh like they they kingan was a guy who was playing you know half the game a little more than half the game even at the college level he is not going to morph into a dude as a rookie who plays 28 to 32 minutes a night I think it’s very reasonable to imagine him to be a 16 to 18 minute a night player during his rookie season which means that there is no need whatsoever to trade the player in front of him and that player is DeAndre Aon real quick on on on clinging strengths I want to be clear here I don’t think he has a lot of scheme versatility I think he’ll be okay like every team switches more than you want them to in the league even if teams run a drop coverage there’s sometimes you like the way players snake and they get Space they can force a late switch where it’s like the defense didn’t want to switch but then you have to have a late switch you’re going to get caught guarding guarding smaller players and kingan might struggle there but he’s going to be a drop big and he’s going to protect the rim it’s the most valuable thing you look at a guy like um drik Lively for the Mavs even he he has he’s lot like more laterally more quick laterally and just much more like spry and bouncy very different player than Donovan kingan but his real value was protecting the rim and the Mavs found really creative ways to make sure he was low the low man they would just keep making rotating off the ball low low low let’s make sure he’s low um it’s um they they did they they were really intentional about about the way that they did things there um they um and Derrick Lively incredibly impactful if the Blazers can be really intentional about keeping Donovan kinging around the rim he can be incredibly impactful but he’s going to play a low minute role in year one because the Blazers are just going to keep DeAndre aen for now but here’s the thing when you trade for GU seven or excuse me when you draft a guy at seven he’s not a career backup right at some point he want him he is a starter right you draft him to be your starting center of the future and DeAndre Aon is under contract for this season and next season and it puts them in an awkward situation where eventually obviously the Blazers have made their decision much like make when you draft scoot Henderson you make your decision this is a player you’re invested in there’s organizational investment in that player there’s organizational investment at Donovan Clingan um Joe K was asked about it twice at his at his press conference he kind of one time skirted the question the other time he was just like basically like rookies need time there’s no reason we really like DeAndre and there’s no reason to do that now but the real truth is that the clock has started on DA’s future it’s a little bit weird because when you traded d Lillard the prize piece the headline piece that you get back in the in the Damen Lillard trade was DeAndre aen and now less than a year after acquiring him you have drafted someone behind him that is likely to take his role and make his future his medium-term future or his makes his future with the Blazers in question very unlikely would the Blazers resign or uh uh DeAndre into to a contract heading into after uh drafting Donovan cling I doubt it would they would they offer him an extension next summer heading into his final season after drafting Donovan King almost certainly not right this means that da well I I think it’ be very unlikely and like downright irresponsible to trade him and like have kingan be kingan and d reath and Robert Williams be your uh be your center it’s your Center group heading into the season it’s like it’s pretty clear that there is going to come a moment into the not to so distant future in which the Blazers have to explore trading DeAndre and that future could come as as soon as the trade deadline but more likely next summer next draft cycle kind of the way they did with u Malcolm Brogden this summer where it was like okay we’re not going to you know when he’s heading into his final year of his contract we’re going to get something for him and they do it it they don’t have to do it in July it’s not a pressing issue it’s not going to be a thing that comes up during the year it’s going to be valuable to have DeAndre during the year um I’ll just say this now I don’t think Donovan kingan and DeAndre can play together they might be able to play some freaky decky lineups where you get away with it for a little little bit in very small sample sizes but very small serving sizes I should say but like the idea that that’s a long-term solution or even a big minute solution for the short term is wild to me we have the Blazers have experimented with playing duop and very briefly um Rob Williams next to DeAndre Aiden and they just got cut up on on defense they just couldn’t stop anyone Aon is pretty mobile for a center but he’s not pretty mobile for all the other spots and if you have two non-mobile guys that you can pick on and put in pick and rolls it’s just too too hard to cover and even if you don’t having another guy on as as kind of your helper X Out switch guy helping on the backside it’s just it’s it’s tough it’s tough you need a special kind of Defense to do that and I think yeah is there a world in which they can kind of get away with a little bit sure is there a World Way can do it a bunch absolutely not your friends are going to pitch this too your friends are going to pitch the Twin Towers idea and you can just point them to like the 22 minute Mark of this podcast and say no no I don’t think it’ll work I don’t think it’ll work and I don’t think it’s I don’t think it’s the plan I don’t think it’s worth even entertaining the real truth is that the Blazers drafted DeAndre aon’s replacement and over the next 36 months they will work to make sure that replacement is ready to go and ready and and developing the right way so he can be that replacement and then they’ll move on from da and tonight marked the beginning of the end of DeAndre aen Blazer’s future whether the team is ready to admit it it’s very clear what happen tonight and I think that might be fine if clinging hits otherwise it’s a problem um although I would say in general if you have to give DeAndre like $45 million a year I would not sign up for that one necessarily but that’s me you might be different and maybe the Blazers do something wild the Blazers did make a trade today for a veteran they did move off a veteran in the final year of his contract much like I believe they will do with the DeAndre aen here in about a year one year from now they traded Malcolm brogon to the Wizards for Denny AIA in a trade that I like on its face because I like Danny ABIA I like him I like him he’s he’s a 23-year-old 69 Wing who can dribble he can pass he can defend and he can shoot a little bit that’s the ideal player in the modern NBA right is a big ball handler playmaker who can defend and shoot that’s the ideal position everyone’s after but the Blazers paid a pretty penny it wasn’t cheap to acquire the player everyone’s after and it’s a little bit peculiar that a team in the Blazers position made the trade that they did it’s a little bit peculiar it’s it’s it’s um it’s it’s notable the price they paid let’s talk about that price and what they did in the third segment join me there won [Music] you still a pass vers point guard I’m still Mike Richmond you are still listening to lockon Blazers okay so here is the trade here’s the deal here is what happened the Blazers send Malcolm Brogden along with the the 14th pick in in the draft tonight ended up being bub Carrington from uh from uh from Pittsburgh along with a the least favorable of one of their 2029 picks plus two future second round picks we haven’t gotten Clarity on what those two future second round picks will be but um it seems pretty clear that they’re not in this particular draft but they are down the line somewhere uh so Malcolm Brogden the 14th pick in 2024 the least favorable of the 2029 pick so the Blazers have uh the Bucks pick and the uh Boston Celtics pick from remnants of the Damen L and then the Drew Holiday trade uh and they’re they they will give the worst of those two in 2029 so the Wizards and the Blazers will keep the best of of of those two in 2029 and then two future seconds Blazers send all that to to Washington and in in return the Blazers get Denny AIA I I I like this in theory right like I I I because I like AIA but it’s undeniable that it’s a lot it’s a lot and it is somewhat curious to me that the Blazers in the position they were in would trade two firsts and two seconds for a role player a high-end role player like I I like obdi a lot I think he could play with anybody he could play on the ball like he’s a pretty good shooter but if you look at his splits what he is is an elite shooter from the corner shot 48% from the corners and not nearly as well under 32% from above the break so it’s like non- Corner threes it’s pretty good but like in the corners which is like you don’t those are not you don’t dribble into Corner threes those are SP those are catch and shoots and they’re typically more open but those are off ball shots like as an off ball guy he shot he he lit it up he made basically nearly half of his threes according to cleaning the glass from the corners like he’s a he can play those positions he can run he can be an on ball guy he’s good in the open floor so he could play fast in a version of um some miracle version of of the Blazers that plays fast they told us they going to do that last year they played incredibly slow um but like I I I think you’re getting value NAIA on top of all that he’s on a four-year contract’s he signed a a contract he’s a he was the eighth pick or excuse me he was the ninth pick in the 2020 draft he’s coming off a season which he averaged 14.7 points 7.2 boards and 3.8 assist this it’s clearly the best year of his career and prior to that he signed a a rookie extension for four years and 55 million bucks on a contract that declines so it gets lower each and every year it’s one of the most team Friendly Deals in the NBA for an effective two-way Wing who can shoot and pass that’s a really good deal on its face it’s just kind of expensive um it really does speak to like the general value of malcol brogen as a trade piece not very good not not not particularly good I would say there wasn’t um like like they like basically had to add on second round picks because Malcolm Brockton wasn’t value valuable enough right two first two seconds in Brogden it’s just a lot and I for a rebuilding team to send out future draft Capital to get an interesting role player is a little bit weird now AIA checks a lot of boxes like I I I don’t I don’t even mean this trade is bad I just think it’s notable how much the Blazers had to pay to get AIA but I like it like I liked I he’s um I I I’m a I’m a I’m a pretty big believer I think he’s a good decision maker I think he’s I think he’s a good decision maker at high speed I think he’s a pretty good decision maker at in half court like I like him um it’s just and and he checks a lot of boxes for the Blazers he can just play like interchangeably he’s probably a four because of his foot speed on defense but he’s physical on defense like I like his physicality there he’s just like he’s he’s not super super super fast laterally where he could guard like really quick wings so he’s probably better guarding like the slower of the two Wings which is kind of also what Jeremy Grant is but I think you can you could get away with playing them both together at the sort of interchangeable forward spots um and I think his rebounding will help a little bit he’s not an elite rebounder but he’s okay rebounder um I think playing him next to tumani Kamar gives you a lot of optionality and playing a wing like a three-wing rotation of tumani Jeremy and AIA along with like a little bit of mixed in Shaden sharp playing some minutes at the three with and three guard lineups you’ve got some you got a lot I really feel a lot more comfortable that about that Wing Trio and that that grouping being more competitive than any version that includes a lot of Jabari wer and a lot of Chris Murray and any of Ryan ruper like I I just think you’re better there Jabari Walker is better battling for minutes on the fringes than he is getting guarant minutes each night just because of his offensive struggles right now in his game and if he earns it he earns it and that’s a good problem to have um AI is going to help and he’s young he’s younger than Dalton connect younger than Dalton connect like you traded for a player under team control for four more seasons on a salary that decreases over the next four years Who is younger than a player you could have drafted at number seven and a player who was available at 14 like the Blazers if they don’t make this trade stamp pad at 14 they trade a player who is I would argue just like projects to probably be worse overall in his career in in in Connect and is older than abdia in that lens incredibly good deal and if you traded 14 and and Malcolm Brogden for AIA would have been an incredible home run it’s the future pick that I think is dicey perhaps the the Celtics will be good forever and that pick will be like 20 that’ll be the 28th pick in 2031 and you won’t even really care about it in the end uh but there’s a chance that you know if things go Haywire then the Blazers are trading could be trading a juicy pick and moreover it’s a pick you can tra you could either trade or use to get other stuff and at some point the Blazers expect to be good and having a a a cash a future pick so you can trade to continue to add to the to the stable of talent either as an as a trade upgrade or just as hey we’re going to need picks cuz we’re good and expensive now it’s always important to have sort of down the line you look at a move like um the Spurs did today where they traded for uh they traded the eighth pick in this draft for just a future 2031 pick like hey let’s we don’t let’s take a Gamble and say like in the middle of of wy’s prime let’s just have another Draft pick on hand that that type of thing obviously the Spurs are in a different spot because wem is in another Stratosphere but like the that’s the same thinking on its face though AIA really really checks boxes that the Blazers needed a big pH a big like you know 69ine physical Wing who can dribble they desperately need someone who could dribble they’re really light on Playmakers he adds another secondary playmaker to the group and he’s a and he’s a shooter from the corners valuable valuable and he’s pretty cheap valuable it’s just the price you paid was Hefty and I think some of the price you paid is because of the team control because of how favorable that contract is you’re trading for someone like on a you know on like a rookie basically essentially a rookie scale deal except no restricted free agency at the back half of it uh and and guarantees as opposed to to team to team options but like four-year team control for a 23-year-old forward who averaged 15 and seven in the NBA last year it’s pretty good business Al be at a hefty price I think the what Denny grows into will help justify it right if he maintains kind of like a you know if he’s like a 15 and eight guy for all four of the seasons and it’s like an effective highlevel role player then maybe it’s like yeah two first for that was kind of a lot but if he grows from this if he’s more than that if he continues to grow and at 23 you can continue to grow it might change my opinion on this in a hurry I would say in a nutshell the same way I feel about kingan a guy that I was comfortable with a guy said that I probably would if had the same I would have made the same decision if I was on the clock but I still have some reservations I feel the same way about this trade I really like ABIA I really I’ve really enjoyed watching him I’m going to really enjoy watching him in a Blazer’s uniform um he’s a guy who Mony Morris nicknamed turbo um because he used to just hold down the turbo button and just power himself to the rim uh during his third NBA season he just only pressed two buttons turbo and square uh Monty Morris is a Playstation guy um so he only pressed turbo and shoot but I think he’s he’s progressed Beyond being just a a turbo Turbo guy to having multiple speeds although he probably is best at playing it playing it full speed so I like him and I think my sort of the value of it I think can change although admittedly it’s it feels like a a steep price to pay for what it is and a bit of a weird one considering where the Blazers are but it but a big man that the team highly coveted and a young 23-year-old Wing who checks a bunch of necessary boxes in terms of Team need that can grow with the young core of the team that’s a pretty freaking good night it’s pretty freaking good night it is imperfect because it’s always imperfect but the Blazers got the Blazers made an aggressive trade to get a player that really kind of fits what they want to do and they got their guy in the draft without giving up ness’s other assets all told I think you come away feeling pretty good about this and the reservations you have will be answered down the line tomorrow is night two of the draft BL have two picks 34 and 40 guess where you can find a breakdown of everything they do right here on this very podcast free on all platforms and also on YouTube come back for that show we’ll wrap up the draft in Friday’s program I appreciate you listening I’ll talk to you soon [Music] n

Recapping an eventful first night of the 2024 NBA draft where the Blazers traded for Deni Avdija and then landed Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 pick.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBlazers?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Watch the show and subscribe on YouTube
📺 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeE7WdPaNWwA-IZGfHek90Q?sub_confirmation=1

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Yahoo Finance
For comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor, YahooFinance.com.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

eBay Motors
From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.
PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
#TrailBlazers #NBA