The Portland Trail Blazers own three selections in the first round of the upcoming draft. Along with their own 15th pick, they have Memphis' 20th pick and Cleveland's 26th selection, acquiring both through past trades. While previous reports stated that the Blazers would not be active on the trade market, Gonzaga freshman Zach Collins changed their mind.
According to Mike Fisher of CBS Sports, the Blazers are trying to move up to the number seven pick, currently owned by the Timberwolves, to select the 7-footer from Gonzaga. Collins is, by most projections, going to be available in the middle of lottery, but the Blazers want to make sure they get their hands on the prospect:
Among the moving cogs here: Source tells @1053thefan #Blazers already dangling multiple picks to #Wolves to get to 7 – and C Zach Collins https://t.co/2ACDEGNBMj
— fishsports (@fishsports) June 22, 2017
The Blazers currently have two centers on the roster. One is their surefire starter, Bosnian Jusuf Nurkić, who impressed since coming in a midseason trade from Denver, and the other one is former Warriors big man, Festus Ezeli. However, Ezeli struggled immensely with injuries, so picking a center to step into that reserve role and stretch the floor would be perfect.
Collins played one year on Gonzaga as a back-up center. He is a good shooter and possesses a good frame, but there are glaring issues with his game. He played in a weak conference and did not receive many minutes, so adjusting to the NBA might be difficult for the Las Vegas native.
Nevertheless, Collins shows immense potential and, clearly, the Blazers see something that they like.
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