The Portland Trail Blazers can go in a variety of different directions during the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Blazers have 10 players who could return for them in the 2023-24 season, according to Spotrac. Guards Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and center Jusuf Nurkic highlight the potential returnees for Portland for next season. Forward Kevin Knox is on a team option for the 2023-24 season. Forwards Jerami Grant, Justise Winslow and Drew Eubanks are listed as unrestricted free agents for the 2023 offseason.

Portland holds the No. 3, 23 and 43 selections in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Trail Blazers may be able to select G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson at No. 3 to continue their excellence in point guard play before moving on to potential role players or diamonds in the rough later in the draft.

Who are some players the Blazers should avoid with the No. 23 pick?

Ben Sheppard

If the Blazers needed extra scoring and a player who could add some extra depth at the two, Sheppard would be an option to look out for at No. 23.

Sheppard, a four-year veteran with the Belmont Bruins, showed major signs of improvement between his freshman and senior seasons. He went from scoring 2.9 points in 10.8 minutes per game during the 2019-20 season to 18.8 in 34.3 minutes per outing, good enough to lead the Bruins in scoring last season.

Sheppard recently worked out with the Indiana Pacers, showcasing his abilities on the court and sitting down for a one-on-one interview.

“I feel like I’ve flown under the radar for most of my life in basketball, honestly,” Sheppard said, via The Rookie Wire. “I always have a chip on my shoulder. I’m a hard worker. I’m super competitive, and I try to let that show in my workouts. It is what I’m here for.

“I believe that I can play with the best of them so I’m just trying to be myself, not do anything out of the ordinary and just play my game.”

But the Blazers have more than enough depth at the two.

They invested their 2018 and 2022 first-round picks in shooting guards. Simons, the No. 24 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, played and started in 62 games for Portland last season as he continues to blossom into a fantastic scoring option alongside Lillard. The team spent its No. 7 pick in last year's draft on Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe, who played in 80 games and started in 15 for Portland last season.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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The Blazers will likely need to invest in a player who can contribute at either the four or the five with their later first-round pick if it isn't used in a potential trade for a more experienced veteran.

Nurkic is the only center listed on Spotrac's 2023-24 Salary Cap grid for the Blazers. Forward Trendon Watford is the only listed power forward. Portland will have the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level and, if they need it, the Bi-Annual exceptions, but the two can only get a team so far when looking for quality options.

Portland could try their hand at a riskier selections with their later pick if they feel they can bring in a quality power forward to pair with Nurkic in the front court or if they can re-sign Grant.

If the Blazers were to turn down Knox's team option, Portland can also try investing in a player who can potentially play at both the three and the four. The Ringer's most recent mock draft has the Trail Blazers selecting Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper at No. 23, while ESPN chose UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Prosper, a former four-star recruit from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, spent one year at Clemson before transferring to Marquette in 2021. He spent two seasons with the Golden Eagles, playing in 68 games and starting in 61. He earned averages of 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season. The 6-foot-8-inch forward showed signs of improvement in his 3-point shot, going from 16.7% during his freshman season to 33.9% his junior year.

Prosper can be a solid contributor on defense and provide a spark off the bench, as he detailed in a one-on-one interview with the Pacers on Wednesday.

“The biggest thing I'm trying to show them is I'm the guy I can bring a spark to a team,” Prosper said when asked what he was trying to showcase during the pre-draft process, via The Pacers. “Especially defensively, a guy that can come in, guard multiple positions. A guy that's going to lift the energy on the floor up.

“On offense, a guy that can stretch the floor, knock down open shots, cut, finish, play in transition. All different things. I want to show teams I can be a reliable two-way player.”