The Portland Trail Blazers were one of the worst teams in the 2022-23 NBA season, as they finished as the 13th seed in the Western Conference.
On a positive note, it helped them land the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which they used to draft Scoot Henderson.
However, the Trail Blazers could have picked Victor Wembanyama if they had been awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
Wembanyama is touted to become the face of the NBA in the future, and another benefit for the Trail Blazers would have been that Damian Lillard was reportedly “cool” with playing alongside Wemby, via NBACentral on Twitter.
“First of all, if they got the number one pick Dame would be good. He would have been cool playing with Wemby,” Sean Highkin said.
Damian Lillard would have been ‘cool’ playing alongside Victor Wembanyama in Portland if they had secured the No. 1 pick, per @highkin
“First of all, if they got the number one pick Dame would be good. He would have been cool playing with Wemby. That would’ve been an exception… pic.twitter.com/OEQlxd0ufQ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 26, 2023
Lillard requested a trade from the Trail Blazers earlier this offseason after 11 years of loyal service to the franchise.
But Dame would have apparently considered staying with the Trail Blazers had they drafted Wembanyama.
While the rookie may take a couple of years to reach his potential, he’s almost NBA-ready from day one.
On the other hand, Henderson also flaunts a lot of potential, but not many believe that he’ll become better than Wembanyama in the long run.
Unfortunately, the Trail Blazers didn’t land the No.1 overall pick in the draft, and Lillard is expected to be traded soon.
The 33-year-old superstar has named the Miami Heat as his preferred destination, but there’s no guarantee that the request will be fulfilled.
After all, the Trail Blazers will accept the best trade offer available to them, regardless of which team offers it.
NEXT: Analyst Details Potential Boston Celtics Offer For Damian Lillard