<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-why-blazers-failed-find-deandre-ayton-trade-buyout');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Why Blazers failed to find Deandre Ayton trade before buyout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Trail-Blazers-center-DeAndre-Ayton-i.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Why Blazers failed to find Deandre Ayton trade before buyout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T09:44:08-07:00">June 30th, 9:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T09:44:08-07:00">June 30th, 9:44am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA Stories</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before reaching a buyout with their starting center, the Portland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-rumors-portland-to-explore-deandre-ayton-jerami-grant-trade-markets">Blazers explored DeAndre Ayton’s market value</a>. However, there was one caveat that threw a wrench into the Blazers’ attempts, leading to a buyout that suddenly launched <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-becomes-free-agent-center-portland-contract-buyout">Ayton to become a sought-after center</a> in free agency. Still, Portland reportedly tried to land a deal centered around DeAndre.</p><p>However, the Blazers were very particular about <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1939568049406771295" rel="noopener">what they’d take back in return</a> for Ayton, per Hoopshype’s Michael Sotto.</p><p>“Portland had trade discussions with several teams interested in DeAndre Ayton,” Sotto reported. “However, the Trail Blazers made it clear they didn’t want to take on any multi-year contracts in return, which made it challenging to find contracts and players to match his $35 million salary.”</p><p>Now, Ayton will test the free agency waters with a new team, and potentially, a final chance at a long-term deal down the road, as the veteran center looks to rejuvenate his career amid new surroundings. However, any team that signs him is taking a risk, according to ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins.</p><h2><b>Kendrick Perkins hits DeAndre Ayton with ‘Diva’ label</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Trail-Blazers-center-DeAndre-Ayton-ii.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>ESPN’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-kendrick-perkins-deandre-ayton-diva-cancer-labels">Kendrick Perkins addressed DeAndre Ayton’s reputation following a buyout</a> with the Blazers. While Perkins admits Ayton’s fit with the Lakers from a basketball standpoint, he worries that DeAndre’s drive and motivation may dwindle <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1939691826430070818" rel="noopener">based on the veteran center’s experience</a> with the Blazers.</p><p>“The Portland Trail Blazers were happy as hell that they got to this point with him,” Perkins said. “Right now, he’s been labeled as a diva, as a cancer in the locker room, and if I’m DeAndre Ayton, I gotta have a moment. I gotta have someone speak the real to me because we’re talking about a former number one pick that didn’t work out with the Phoenix Suns, the team that drafted him number one.”</p><p>For Perkins, Ayton’s next stop could be his final chance.</p><p>“When you have guys like DeAndre Ayton, you believe that things can happen to you. And I believe that he’s one situation away, the next situation, or next organization that he lands in, even if it’s the Lakers, he has to change a lot about himself, or he will find his career being shortened, and he will find himself out of the league,” Perkins added. “But can DeAndre Ayton help the Lakers? Absolutely, because Luka thrives in the lob threat. DeAndre Ayton can be a lob threat.</p><p>“When DeAndre Ayton is locked in, he’s focused, he’s losing himself in the team, he’s a hell of a player. Double-double. The problem is that it hasn’t been the case,” Perkins concluded.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The word around the league is not good about Deandre Ayton… right now he's been labeled as a diva, as a cancer in the locker room… he has to change a lot about himself or he will find his career being shortened."</p><p>– Kendrick Perkins 😳<a href="https://t.co/YJxhDgdWt4">pic.twitter.com/YJxhDgdWt4</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1939691826430070818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Lakers are one of the few teams reportedly connected to potentially signing Ayton.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Why Blazers failed to find Deandre Ayton trade before buyout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-kendrick-perkins-deandre-ayton-diva-cancer-labels');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kendrick Perkins hits Deandre Ayton with ‘diva, cancer’ labels');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Trail-Blazers-center-DeAndre-Ayton.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kendrick Perkins hits Deandre Ayton with ‘diva, cancer’ labels</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T09:06:38-07:00">June 30th, 9:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T09:06:38-07:00">June 30th, 9:06am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA Stories</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After reaching a buyout agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-becomes-free-agent-center-portland-contract-buyout">DeAndre Ayton becomes a top free-agent center</a> ahead of the busiest time of the year for NBA executives. One of the few teams mentioned as early as a potential suitor is the Los Angeles Lakers, whom ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins agrees could help LeBron James and Luka Doncic, or check out at the first sign of trouble. It’s entirely up to Ayton.</p><p>Ayton’s skillset and reliability are <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1939691826430070818" rel="noopener">two very different things</a> that don’t always go hand in hand, Perkins said, per ESPN’s First Take.</p><p>“The word around the league is not good about DeAndre Ayton. The Portland Trail Blazers were happy as hell that they got to this point with him,” Perkins said. “Right now he’s been labeled as a diva, as a cancer in the locker room, and if I’m DeAndre Ayton, I gotta have a moment. I gotta have someone speak the real to me because we’re talking about a former number one pick that didn’t work out with the Phoenix Suns, the team that drafted him number one.”</p><p>For Perkins, Ayton’s next stop could be his final chance.</p><p>“When you have guys like DeAndre Ayton, you believe that things can happen to you. And I believe that he’s one situation away, the next situation, or next organization that he lands in, even if it’s the Lakers, he has to change a lot about himself, or he will find his career being shortened, and he will find himself out of the league,” Perkins added. “But can DeAndre Ayton help the Lakers? Absolutely, because Luka thrives in the lob threat. DeAndre Ayton can be a lob threat.</p><p>“When DeAndre Ayton is locked in, he’s focused, he’s losing himself in the team, he’s a hell of a player. Double-double. The problem is that it hasn’t been the case,” Perkins concluded.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The word around the league is not good about Deandre Ayton… right now he's been labeled as a diva, as a cancer in the locker room… he has to change a lot about himself or he will find his career being shortened."</p><p>– Kendrick Perkins 😳<a href="https://t.co/YJxhDgdWt4">pic.twitter.com/YJxhDgdWt4</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1939691826430070818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><h2><b>DeAndre Ayton’s poor reputation with the Trail Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Trail-Blazers-center-DeAndre-Ayton-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Shortly after the buyout was announced, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-la-fans-already-recruiting-deandre-ayton-after-buyout">Lakers fans were quick to recruit DeAndre Ayton</a> to their team, a move that ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins cautions against, based on Ayton’s tenure with the Trail Blazers.</p><p>“Came off as selfish, unreliable, so many stories that were put out there last season that I just couldn’t believe,” Perkins said. “He was backed up in traffic. Something happened where he couldn’t get out of his driveway. I was like, man, c’mon man. What are we talking about?”</p><p>Perkins also added that Ayton couldn’t get along with Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kendrick Perkins hits Deandre Ayton with ‘diva, cancer’ labels

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-becomes-free-agent-center-portland-contract-buyout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deandre Ayton becomes top free agent center after Blazers contract buyout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Deandre-Ayton-becomes-top-free-agent-center-after-Blazers-contract-buyout.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton becomes top free agent center after Blazers contract buyout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T19:47:12-07:00">June 29th, 7:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T20:20:09-07:00">June 29th, 8:20pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-swift-move-arizona-star-caleb-love-after-nba-draft">Trail Blazers made a big and surprising move</a> before free agency begins, as they <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939513083338322366" rel="noopener">came to an agreement</a> on a buyout with one of their centers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“Breaking: Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Sudden addition to the free-agent market. This gives Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick who went to the NBA Finals with the Suns, the chance to receive a fresh opportunity as the Trail Blazers build around their depth of young centers,” Charania continued.</p><p>It will be interesting to see what Ayton’s market will be as free agency is on the way.</p><p>There were many questions on how the Blazers would handle their center rotation, especially after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-portland-stuns-nba-world-with-7-foot-1-chinese-star-after-trade">drafting Hansen Yang with the No. 16 pick</a> in the NBA Draft. Not many people expected Yang to go that quickly in the draft, but the Blazers believed in his talent. In his two seasons with the Chinese Basketball Association, Yang averaged 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks while shooting 56.9 percent from the field.</p><p>The Blazers had four centers on the roster, which included Ayton, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams III. There was a good chance someone would be on the outside looking in, and it was Ayton whom the Blazers decided to let go.</p><p>Ayton’s game has been under a microscope over the past few seasons, and it started during his final season with the Phoenix Suns. Since coming to the Trail Blazers, Ayton hadn’t been available to play much, which gave other players on the team a chance to get minutes.</p><p>In Clingan’s rookie season last year, he took advantage of the opportunity, and he averaged 6.5 points and 7.9 rebounds in 67 games.</p><p>Ayton will most likely have a list of suitors going after him, and he may be signed sooner rather than later.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deandre Ayton becomes top free agent center after Blazers contract buyout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-rookie-yang-hansen-drops-quote-life-away-basketball');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers rookie Yang Hansen drops all-time quote on life away from basketball');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Portland-Trail-Blazers-center-Yang-Hansen.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers rookie Yang Hansen drops all-time quote on life away from basketball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-27T13:07:24-07:00">June 27th, 1:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-27T13:07:24-07:00">June 27th, 1:07pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers were behind one of the biggest surprises in the NBA Draft on Wednesday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-portland-stuns-nba-world-with-7-foot-1-chinese-star-after-trade">Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin picked Chinese center Yang Hansen at No. 16</a> to put alongside Donovan Clingan. Portland’s head coach, Chauncey Billups, will have his hands full figuring out his new rotation, but Hansen’s personality is already a hit.</p><p>Hansen and the rest of the 2025 NBA Draft class are navigating through their introductory press conferences. However, the best quote of the day might be from the newest Trail Blazer. His answer when a reporter asked what he liked to do <a href="https://youtu.be/XKn42CtTXd0?t=269" rel="noopener">outside of basketball</a> is proof that a 20-year-old is a 20-year-old, no matter where in the world they grew up.</p><p>“Sometimes I sleep, all the time sleep,” Hansen said. “I like to play PS5, and I like eat.”</p><p>Billups and Portland’s fan base hope that he is ready to feast for them next season. Most experts thought Cronin’s pick was a major reach. Hansen was projected as a mid-second round pick heading into Wednesday night. However, the Trail Blazers’ general manager liked what he saw in the seven-footer and did not want to wait.</p><p>The 16th pick in the draft was the only one that Portland owned heading into this year’s draft. After trading Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics for Jrue Holiday, the team’s direction is still undecided.</p><p>If Hansen wants to play for Billups this season, the roster needs some change. As of right now, he is the fourth center on their depth chart behind Clingan, DeAndre Ayton, and Robert Williams III. Cronin could make more moves this summer. Players like Holiday and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-rumors-portland-to-explore-deandre-ayton-jerami-grant-trade-markets">Jerami Grant remain in Blazers trade rumors</a>.</p><p>Despite the backlash that Portland received for picking Hansen, they are happy to have him. Based on his introductory press conference, the rookie is excited to be with the Trail Blazers too.</p><p>Hansen played for Qingdao in the CBA over the last two seasons. The 20-year-old averaged a double-double across both seasons to go along with more than two blocks per game. He figures to be another great defensive addition to Cronin’s team.</p><p>Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe will be Portland’s starting backcourt. However, Hansen gives Billups two young options to anchor the middle of his defense.</p><p>If Hansen’s press conference is any indication, the Trail Blazers could have a new fan favorite.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers rookie Yang Hansen drops all-time quote on life away from basketball

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/orlando-magic-jase-richardson-5-biggest-steals-2025-nba-draft-round-1');   ga('set', 'title', 'Orlando Magic’s Jase Richardson headlines 5 biggest steals of 2025 NBA Draft Round 1');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jase-Richardson.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Orlando Magic’s Jase Richardson headlines 5 biggest steals of 2025 NBA Draft Round 1</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-27T12:28:04-07:00">June 27th, 12:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-27T12:28:04-07:00">June 27th, 12:28pm</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 NBA Draft resulted in plenty of headline-making moves. Cooper Flagg officially joins the Dallas Mavericks, while Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe emerged as the No. 2 and 3 picks on the night. On the other hand, round 1 of the draft also gave us some surprisingly low picks for highly-rated prospects, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-news-orlando-pick-former-player-son-nba-draft">including Orlando Magic’s new guard Jase Richardson</a>. </p><p>In his solitary season at Michigan State, Richardson averaged 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists while being named third-team All-Big Ten. The son of former Orlando star Jason Richardson, Jase was selected as the No. 25 pick and has the potential to immediately make an impact. He joins a list of several highly-rated prospects who could easily have gone earlier in the 2025 NBA Draft.</p><h2><b>1. Jase Richardson – Orlando Magic (No. 25)</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jase-Richardson-joins-Orlando.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Orlando Magic held on to this one pick despite trading away a host of picks for Desmond Bane earlier. What sets Richardson apart is the fact that the 19-year-old can immediately contribute while also holding potential to become a future star.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/jase-richardson-reveals-michigan-state-dream-that-could-delay-nba-draft-plans">Jase Richardson averaged 12.1 points</a>, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 41.2% during his freshman year. His stock had gone down in the buildup to the draft due to his small frame. However, Jase’s midrange jumper and basketball IQ make him a player who can excel on both ends of the court. Jase is a gritty defender capable of taking on much bigger players and should excel in the NBA once he settles.</p><h2><b>2. Hugo Gonzalez – Boston Celtics (No. 28)</b></h2><p>The Celtics opted for Real Madrid’s Hugo Gonzalez with the No. 28 pick. A 19-year-old wing who has a tendency to create high-intensity plays, Gonzalez is a walking highlight reel. Gonzalez was not a starter at Madrid, and still has plenty to improve offensively.</p><p>He averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 14.2 minutes per game for Madrid last season. Celtics president Brad Stevens expressed after the draft that Gonzalez <a href="https://nesn.com/2025/06/watch-brad-stevens-draft-call-to-celtics-first-round-pick-hugo-gonzalez/#:~:text=Stevens%20appeared%20to%20confirm%20that,fan%E2%80%9D%20of%20how%20Gonzalez%20plays.">will immediately join the first team</a>, per NESN. While he may not immediately make a major impact, Gonzalez’s drive and intensity made him an attractive proposition for the Celtics.</p><h2><b>3. Kasparas Jakucionis – Miami Heat (No. 20)</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Kasparas-Jakucionis-picked-by-Miamia.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Drafted 20th overall by the Miami Heat, Jakucionis is another player many thought might be drafted earlier. The 6-foot-6 Lithuanian guard has consistently shown a high level of basketball IQ and scoring ability. He averaged 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game, did not even work out with Miami as he was expected to be drafter much earlier.</p><p>Jakucionis is an elite playmaker and has all the ingredients to develop into a proper star at Miami. His offensive maturity and vision more than make up for his inconsistent defence, something the 19-year-old can eventually improve. </p><h2><b>4. Cedric Coward – Portland Trail Blazers (No. 11)</b></h2><p>Coward was immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, who sent the No. 16 pick Yang Hansen, a 2028 first-round pick via Orlando, and two future second-round picks for him. While the assets are considerable, the Grizzlies get a 21-year-old 3-and-D star capable of making an immediate impact in return. </p><p>Coward has shot 38.8% in his career from the 3-point zone and is a disruptor on the other end of the court. He has a combined 2.5 blocks and steals per game, which means he has all the tools to become an elite two-way star. Crowder could easily have been a top-10 pick considering his immediate value, and averaged 17.7 points and seven rebounds for Washington State last season.</p><h2><b>5. Khaman Maluach – Phoenix Suns (No. 10)</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Khaman-Maluach-picked-by-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Khaman Maluach is another player who adds immediate value. The Phoenix Suns needed a starting center to replace Mark Williams, and in Maluach have one who was initially expected to be a lottery pick. Alongside Orlando Magic, they seem to be the biggest winners from the 2025 NBA draft.</p><p>A 7-foot-2, 253-pound center with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, Maluach averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season for Duke. The Suns are looking to move on from Kevin Durant and have added a polished youngster who can eventually become their defensive anchor. His stock, as well as the fact that Phoenix needed interior presence, makes him a standout pick. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Orlando Magic’s Jase Richardson headlines 5 biggest steals of 2025 NBA Draft Round 1

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-swift-move-arizona-star-caleb-love-after-nba-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers make swift move on Arizona star after NBA Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Arizona-star-Caleb-Love-in-action.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers make swift move on Arizona star after NBA Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T21:25:03-07:00">June 26th, 9:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T21:25:32-07:00">June 26th, 9:25pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers made noticeable progress in their rebuild last season, winning 15 more games than the previous campaign and finishing just a bit short of a Play-In Tournament slot. But now they are shaking things up again, following a series of surprising moves this week. Blazers general manager Joe Cronin maintained his aggressive outlook even after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-joe-cronin-reacts-chinese-nikola-jokic-comp-yang-hansen">the NBA Draft</a> wrapped up on Thursday, signing one of the most prominent guards in college basketball over the last half-decade.</p><p>Former Arizona and North Carolina star Caleb Love is <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1938424403475185910" rel="noopener">expected to sign</a> a two-way NBA contract with Portland, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Despite concerns regarding his ability to successfully transition to the professional level, the 2024 Second-Team All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year was one of the most recognizable names entering night two of the draft. He did not hear his name called, but this team obviously values Love’s skill set and collegiate accolades.</p><p>Since the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">Blazers traded Anfernee Simons</a> to the Boston Celtics as part of the deal that netted them two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday, they have a bunch of points to replace on their roster. While it is uncommon for undrafted talents to immediately become primary scoring options on a squad, Love is entering a uniquely favorable environment.</p><h2><b>Blazers rookie Caleb Love will not shy away from a challenge</b></h2><p>Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija remain integral pieces of the offense, and Scoot Henderson made strides in his second season, but the First-Team All-Big 12 selection has a great opportunity to earn meaningful minutes in Portland. Those who watched Love play in college know that he is not afraid to dive head first into a situation.</p><p>The 23-year-old is a fearless competitor, sometimes to a fault. He has experienced plenty of highs and lows to this point, making him among the most polarizing prospects in the 2025 draft class. Love helped North Carolina reach the national championship game in 2022, essentially retiring Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski after draining a supremely clutch 3-point basket in the Final Four. He then led Arizona to consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances in the NCAA Tournament.</p><p>One cannot tell the Caleb Love story without mentioning his questionable shot selection, however. The St. Louis, Missouri native’s boundless confidence did not only produce thrills, like the one fans experienced when watching him force overtime with a 50-foot <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/caleb-love-sounds-off-on-half-court-buzzer-beater-that-saved-arizona-vs-iowa-state">buzzer-beater versus Iowa State</a> in January. He also put the Wildcats in a tough spot by hoisting the ball from difficult or tightly guarded areas on the floor.</p><p>Love averaged 17.2 points on 39.8 percent shooting last season, which is actually almost two percent higher than what he posted for his career. However, one can certainly argue that Love was forced to constantly occupy the hero role due to Arizona’s lack of offensive options. Perhaps he will exercise more restraint with the Blazers.</p><p>Love is a prime candidate to excel in the Summer League, as he seeks revenge on all those who overlooked him in the NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers make swift move on Arizona star after NBA Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-trade-proposal-for-robert-williams-brings-much-needed-depth');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ trade proposal for Robert Williams brings much-needed depth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Robert-Williams-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ trade proposal for Robert Williams brings much-needed depth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T15:57:41-07:00">June 26th, 3:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T15:57:41-07:00">June 26th, 3:57pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics have a pressing need at the center position, and because of that, the Celtics should <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/ranking-best-robert-williams-iii-trade-destinations-as-blazers-struggle">trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for Robert Williams</a>.</p><p>The Celtics have made some big trades this offseason in an effort to get their finances in check. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">traded Jrue Holiday for Anferee Simons</a> before making a separate deal involving <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">Kristaps Porzingis that netted Georges Niang</a>.</p><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatums-teammate-gives-good-spirits-update-amid-achilles-recovery">Jayson Tatum out for the upcoming season because of his torn Achilles</a>, it made sense to make the moves necessary to get under the second apron. Even so, Boston isn’t entering a full rebuilding mode. They still expect to contend upon Tatum’s return, and in a weak Eastern Conference, they will even still look to win games next season.</p><p>The Trail Blazers seem destined to trade a center, and Williams has a history in Boston. So what would a Williams-to-Boston deal look like?</p><h2><b>Celtics’ possible trade package for Robert Williams</b></h2><p><b>Celtics receive:</b> Robert Williams</p><p><b>Trail Blazers receive:</b> Sam Hauser, Xavier Tillman, JD Davison, second-round pick</p><p>The Trail Blazers drafted yet another center in the 2025 NBA Draft. A year after choosing Donovan Clingan in the lottery, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-joe-cronin-reacts-chinese-nikola-jokic-comp-yang-hansen">Portland selected Yang Hansen 16th overall</a>. The rookie from China will add to a depth chart that also features Deandre Ayton, Duop Reath, and Williams.</p><p>One, two, or potentially even three of those players need to go, as there simply aren’t enough minutes to go around, and none of them can share the floor together.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/nba-rumors-deandre-ayton-becoming-odd-man-out-for-blazers">Ayton and Williams are the likely trade candidates</a>, but the former first overall pick may cost a pretty penny. Williams, meanwhile, could likely be had for cheap especially because he is quite far down the center pecking order in Portland.</p><p>The decision to draft Hansen was one of many peculiar moves this offseason for the Trail Blazers. Additionally, they had previously worked with the Celtics in the Holiday trade. Anfernee Simons was sent to Boston in that deal, and although the Trail Blazers were widely criticized for that move, they are clearly comfortable negotiating with the Celtics.</p><p>This trade would be a much better deal for Portland than the Holiday trade was. Sam Hauser is one of the best catch-and-shoot 3-point specialists in the NBA, which is a niche the Trail Blazers need. Hauser’s 8.5 points per game last season were far superior to Williams’ scoring output, and he has been a more reliable option when it comes to health throughout his career, too.</p><h2><b>Should the Celtics trade for Robert Williams?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Robert-Williams-Celtics-Jimmy-Butler.jpg"><figcaption>Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>With Porzingis already shipped away and Al Horford nearing retirement, the Celtics need help at center. Williams has never been able to stay healthy consistently, which is part of the reason he was shipped from Boston to Portland in the first place, but he was a great fit for the Celtics when he was able to stay on the floor during his days with the team.</p><p>Williams’ nickname is ‘Timelord’ because he is one of the best at blocking shots in the NBA. He is also a serviceable lob threat and put-back artist. Williams could play behind or alongside Horford if the veteran has another season in him. He’d be even more valuable if <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-al-horford-retirement-rumors-shut-down-wyc-grousbeck">Horford decides to retire</a> or not re-sign.</p><p>Losing Hauser wouldn’t be easy for the Celtics, but it would continue their offseason trend of getting their finances in check. Williams only has one year left on his contract, whereas Hauser is <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/74311/sam-hauser" rel="noopener">on the books</a> for four more seasons.</p><p>As of now, the Celtics will bank on Neemias Queta to play heavy minutes at the center unless they re-sign Luke Kornet and/or Horford. Regardless, the Celtics need more help at the five spot. Boston’s roster is going to look a whole lot different next season, and they probably shouldn’t stop making changes now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ trade proposal for Robert Williams brings much-needed depth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-trade-proposal-for-deandre-ayton-finds-mark-williams-replacement');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ trade proposal for Deandre Ayton finds Mark Williams replacement');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/755676827-hornets-trade-proposal-for-deandre-ayton-finds-mark-williams-replacement.jpg"></figure><h1>Hornets’ trade proposal for Deandre Ayton finds Mark Williams replacement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T14:57:44-07:00">June 26th, 2:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T14:57:44-07:00">June 26th, 2:57pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers had a logjam at the center position long before they drafted yet another big man in the 2025 NBA Draft. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-portland-stuns-nba-world-with-7-foot-1-chinese-star-after-trade">selection of Yang Hansen</a> all but assures that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/nba-rumors-deandre-ayton-becoming-odd-man-out-for-blazers">the Trail Blazers have to trade Deandre Ayton.</a></p><p>One team that now has a hole at the five spot after draft day is the Charlotte Hornets. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/mark-williams-trade-grade-for-hornets-suns-deal">traded Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns</a>, which created a newfound need at center that a deal for Ayton could fill.</p><h2><b>Hornets’ possible trade package for Deandre Ayton</b></h2><p><b>Hornets receive:</b> Deandre Ayton</p><p><b>Trail Blazers receive:</b> Jusuf Nurkic, Grant Williams, 2025 NBA Draft pick 33, future second-round pick</p><p>The Hornets’ desire to trade Mark Williams was well-known. The team tried to trade the big man from Duke to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the trade deadline for Dalton Knecht, but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-mark-williams-dalton-knecht-trade-shockingly-rescinded">Lakers shut down the agreed-upon deal when Williams failed his physical</a>. Williams put up impressive numbers upon returning to the Hornets.</p><p>He averaged 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. However, Williams has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and his relationship with the Hornets soured after they originally traded him. This go around, the Hornets dealt the center for two first-round picks.</p><p>Instead of replacing Williams, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/draft-grade-hornets-new-rookie-kon-knueppel">Hornets drafted two shooters in Kon Knueppel</a> and Liam McNeeley. Now, Jusuf Nurkic and Moussa Diabate are atop the depth chart at the five spot. Charlotte has a revamped roster, but they’d be smart to find an upgrade at center, and no post player is more attainable right now than Ayton.</p><p>The former first overall pick never quite lived up to expectations of being the top pick, but he is still a solid starting center. While he had a down year statistically last season while sharing more minutes than normal, he is a year removed from averaging 16.7 points and two years removed from averaging 18 points.</p><p>Ayton might not be done developing. He is still only 26 years old, so there is a chance that he could blossom even more with another change of scenery.</p><p>Questions about the Arizona big man’s motor have always been prevalent, but he does have a championship appearance to his name, and that playoff experience could be valuable for a team like the Hornets.</p><p>Additionally, Ayton should come relatively cheap. Circumstances somewhat force the Trail Blazers’ hand because they have five rotation-caliber centers on the roster, and Ayton is the clear odd man out.</p><h2><b>Trail Blazers’ logjam at center</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Deandre-Ayton-2-signals-against-the-Miami-Heat.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>As mentioned previously, the Trail Blazers simply have too many centers. Ayton has started every game since becoming a Trail Blazer, but Donovan Clingan is the future of the position in Portland.</p><p>Robert Williams is also an elite defensive player when healthy, and Duop Reath is a serviceable backup who can knock down 3-point shots. The team has to have high hopes for Hansen, too, considering their insistence on drafting him despite how hard it will be for him to find minutes on this team.</p><p>Ayton and Williams seemed destined to be moved, but Ayton holds more trade value, even if he won’t go for a king’s ransom. This trade is underwhelming at first glance for the Trail Blazers, but considering they’ve been unable to move off of Ayton so far, there might not be much of a market for the Arizona product.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-grant-williams-helped-locker-room-potentially-serious-injury">Grant Williams is coming off ACL surgery</a>, but he is a prototypical 3-and-D role player with championship experience. Additionally, the Trail Blazers could draft one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-charlotte-labeled-hotspot-for-trade-talks-in-round-2">best remaining players available in the 2025 NBA Draft</a> if they were to do this deal during the second round of draft day.</p><p>The Trail Blazers wouldn’t need Nurkic’s services, considering he is yet another center, so they could flip him in another trade for even more capital.</p><p>The Trail Blazers have made some questionable decisions so far this offseason. In addition to the selection of Hansen, which some considered a reach, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">Trail Blazers traded Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday.</a> The ex-Boston Celtic is not only older than Simons and regressing, but he is playing on an undesirable <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/6316/jrue-holiday" rel="noopener">contract</a>.</p><p>This trade proposal, while underwhelming, would be a necessary step in the right direction for Portland.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ trade proposal for Deandre Ayton finds Mark Williams replacement

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-joe-cronin-reacts-chinese-nikola-jokic-comp-yang-hansen');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers GM reacts to ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp for shocking pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Trail-Blazers-center-Yang-Hansen.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers GM reacts to ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp for shocking pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T08:30:58-07:00">June 26th, 8:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T08:30:58-07:00">June 26th, 8:30am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He received his Masters in Business Administration Bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Nichols College. Previously, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided, Basketball Network, Athlon Sports, and The Sporting News. In addition to his work at ClutchPoints, Owen is also a Breaking News Writer at Heavy and a Content Producer for More Views Media.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft is in the books, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/blazers-news-portland-stuns-nba-world-with-7-foot-1-chinese-star-after-trade">most surprising selection of the night belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers</a>. With the No. 16 overall pick, the Trail Blazers selected Chinese center Yang Hansen, despite the fact he was not expected to get picked until the second round of the draft. After the first round concluded, general manager Joe Cronin weighed in on a unique comparison Hansen was receiving.</p><p>Hansen spent the past two seasons playing for the Qingdao Guoxin Aquatic Products in the Chinese Basketball Association. In his most recent campaign, he averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and three assists per game while shooting 58.6% from the field. With his game closely mirroring that of Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic, several folks began to label Hansen “<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/blazers-news-jake-fischer-reveals-chinese-jokic-comp-from-nuggets-for-surprise-pick">Chinese Jokic</a>.” While Cronin is a big fan of Hansen, he <a href="https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1938130954549399578" rel="noopener">wasn’t ready to go that far</a> just yet.</p><p>“Nobody’s Jokic. That’s a tough one. But as far as his ability to pass the ball, there aren’t many at his size that can do it like he does,” Cronin said per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joe Cronin, asked about this quote tonight: "Nobody's Jokic. That's a tough one. But as far as his ability to pass the ball, there aren't many at his size that can do it like he does." <a href="https://t.co/9a4jJPXelg">https://t.co/9a4jJPXelg</a></p><p>— Sean Highkin (@highkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1938130954549399578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Joe Cronin, Trail Blazers hoping Yang Hansen pans out after surprise selection</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-Yang-Hansen-stands-with-NBA-commissioner-Adam-Silver.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Hansen certainly has upside, but many folks were stunned to see Portland select him this early in the draft. Whenever you are drawing comparisons to Jokic, though, that’s usually a good sign. Cronin doesn’t want to put that sort of pressure on his new center, though, especially considering he’s already going to have more eyes on him than usual considering the circumstances surrounding his selection.</p><p>As of right now, the Trail Blazers do not have another pick in the 2025 draft, although that could change if they were to make a trade at some point on Thursday. Assuming they don’t, though, the front office will turn their attention towards free agency, where they will look to build up their team in hopes of taking a big step forward next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers GM reacts to ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp for shocking pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-jake-fischer-reveals-chinese-jokic-comp-from-nuggets-for-surprise-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jake Fischer reveals ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp from Nuggets for surprise Blazers pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-Yang-Hansen-walks-to-the-stage.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jake Fischer reveals ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp from Nuggets for surprise Blazers pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T21:46:15-07:00">June 25th, 9:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T21:46:15-07:00">June 25th, 9:46pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-portland-stuns-nba-world-with-7-foot-1-chinese-star-after-trade">Portland Trail Blazers stunned the entire NBA world</a> when they drafted Hansen Yang, the 7’2″ Chinese international, with the 16th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. Yang was projected by most talent evaluators to go in the second round. Instead, the Blazers scooped him up nearly 30 spots before many thought he’d go — prompting a barrage of reactions.</p><p>For what it’s worth, Yang put up pretty dominant stats in the Chinese Basketball Association in his <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/hansen-yang-1.html" rel="noopener">two-year stint</a> with the Qingdao Eagles. In 96 career games, the 20-year-old big man averaged 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 56.9 percent from the field. He even flashed some three-point shooting ability, having made 23 of his 79 tries from beyond the arc.</p><p>Still, Yang’s mobility issues put quite a cap on his ceiling. While other executives cannot quite comprehend why the Blazers would make this pick, <a href="https://x.com/JakeLFischer/status/1938057593957847203" rel="noopener">one person close</a> to the Denver Nuggets texted “Chinese Jokic” to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer regarding the 20-year-old international prospect.</p><p>Comparing Yang to Jokic is preposterous, although little did everyone know back in 2014 that Jokic would end up blossoming into one of the greatest players of all-time for the Nuggets, winning three MVP awards and a title thus far in his career. And it’s not like Jokic is done dominating the NBA, as he’s only 30 years of age.</p><p>Back in 2014, scouts had concerns regarding Jokic’s defense, lack of agility and verticality, and they questioned his fitness levels — with Jokic still having a habit of downing cola soda bottles like they were water. But Jokic took his development seriously, and by the time his third season came around, he was a full-time starter who was already putting it together.</p><p>Alas, comparing anyone to Jokic is a fool’s game. The most important thing for Yang is that he acclimates to the speed of the NBA game as soon as possible to make the Blazers look golden.</p><h2><b>Blazers get their man… but at a cost</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-Yang-Hansen-stands-with-NBA-commissioner-Adam-Silver.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Blazers could have drafted Yang in the second round, but they decided to get their man as soon as they could. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-news-memphis-cedric-coward-no-11-pick-trade-blazers">traded down from 11 to 16</a> (getting a 2028 first-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies in the process) and did not want to let Yang slip away further.</p><p>Only time will tell if the Blazers prove to be one step ahead of the competition. But the opportunity cost of reaching to get Yang instead of hoping he slips towards the end of the second round is too difficult to ignore.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jake Fischer reveals ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp from Nuggets for surprise Blazers pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-portland-stuns-nba-world-with-7-foot-1-chinese-star-after-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers stun NBA world with 7-foot-1 Chinese star after trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-Yang-Hansen-stands-with-NBA-commissioner-Adam-Silver.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers stun NBA world with 7-foot-1 Chinese star after trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T19:46:52-07:00">June 25th, 7:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T19:46:52-07:00">June 25th, 7:46pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After barely missing the play-in tournament with a 36-46 record, the Portland Trail Blazers were rewarded with another lottery pick, nabbing the 11th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. They then decided to trade out of the lottery altogether, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-news-memphis-cedric-coward-no-11-pick-trade-blazers">dealing away that selection to the Memphis Grizzlies</a> for the 16th pick, a 2028 first-round pick, and two second-rounders. And then in a shocking turn of events, the Blazers, despite already having four centers on the roster, decided to select 7’1″ Chinese star Hansen Yang with the pick they got from the Grizzlies.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/7-foot-2-center-china-hansen-yang-comparisons-3-time-mvp-nikola-jokic">Yang tore up the Chinese Basketball Association</a> in his two seasons in the league. He averaged 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks while shooting 56.9 percent from the field, and at just 20 years of age, he certainly had his merits as a draft prospect. Alas, no talent evaluator had him going off the board in the first round, making the Blazers’ selection of him at pick 16 that big of a shock.</p><p>In fact, one front office executive for an unnamed team texted ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel that the Blazers’ pick of Yang is the <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1938057154038235609" rel="noopener">“wildest” he’s ever seen</a> and that pick alone should put the jobs of the executives responsible for the selection “on the line”.</p><p>It’s not quite clear what the Blazers aim to achieve with the selection of Yang, and this early as well. It would have been a confounding pick already had they made it in the second round, considering how many centers they already have on the roster. But for them to use a first-round pick in the middle of the first round to select someone they could have drafted 20 picks later has the entire NBA world up in arms.</p><h2><b>Fans clown the Blazers for their confounding Hansen Yang selection</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-Yang-Hansen-walks-to-the-stage.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In three years, the Blazers may have the last laugh regarding their confusing Yang selection. But for now, they have become the butt of the joke among NBA fans who couldn’t comprehend why they would make this pick.</p><p>“Blazers got 3 Centers now what are they doing 😭 Ayton Clingan and Yang,” X user @EdeyMuse <a href="https://x.com/EdeyMuse/status/1938055200293425195" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p><p>“The Blazers won a couple extra games in the second half of the season… for a Yang Hansen. Let that sink in,” @JoeFisch3 <a href="https://x.com/JoeFisch3/status/1938059490836025405" rel="noopener">added</a>.</p><p>“Drafting Hansen Yang at 16th just solved NBA’s low viewership problem,” @zyjohnw <a href="https://x.com/zyjohnw/status/1938059091563233313" rel="noopener">posted in jest</a>.</p><p>Yang is a Klutch Sports client, and perhaps that played a part in him being drafted way earlier than nearly everyone expected.</p><p>“Klutch sports got Hansen Yang drafted top 16,” @MVPnuby <a href="https://x.com/MVPnuby/status/1938057126825570341" rel="noopener">asserted</a>.</p><p>“Klutch made Hansen Yang more than 10 million dollars by getting him picked 16th,” @mrcmon <a href="https://x.com/mrcmon/status/1938061693265055894" rel="noopener">added</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers stun NBA world with 7-foot-1 Chinese star after trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-news-memphis-cedric-coward-no-11-pick-trade-blazers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grizzlies land rising star Cedric Coward in No. 11 pick trade with Blazers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Cedric-Coward_cdaa79.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Grizzlies land rising star Cedric Coward in No. 11 pick trade with Blazers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T18:33:27-07:00">June 25th, 6:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T18:54:23-07:00">June 25th, 6:54pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Memphis Grizzlies</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/grizzlies-run-athletic-wings-through-2025-nba-draft-workouts">Memphis Grizzlies made one of the first big swings</a> of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night, sending the No. 16 pick and other draft assets to the Portland Trail Blazers to move up to No. 11 and select Washington State star Cedric Coward. ESPN’s Shams Charania was <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1938045437300134174" rel="noopener">first to report</a> the trade.</p><p>In addition to the 16th pick, Portland will receive a 2028 first-round pick as well as a pair of second-rounders, per Charania.</p><p>The move comes as the latest trade in a busy offseason for the Grizzlies, which has already seen them <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/grizzlies-rumors-memphis-jaren-jackson-jr-focus-after-desmond-bane-trade">trade away Desmond Bane</a> to the Orlando Magic. While Bane was arguably the best perimeter shooter on this Memphis squad, Coward will come in and be equipped to replace that perimeter production right away.</p><p>The former Eastern Washington standout was widely regarded as one of the best shooters in the draft and should be able to effectively space the floor for the Grizzlies immediately. He shot at least 38% from deep in each of his last three college seasons, so he should step in right away as an effective sharpshooter in Memphis.</p><p>Coward only played in six games last season at Washington State in 2024-25, but he shot 40% from 3-point range on five attempts per game, so his elite shooting was on display the whole time. In his last full season at Eastern Washington in 2023-24, Coward shot just over 38% on more than four attempts per game. He backed that up with a stellar performance from downtown at the combine.</p><p>College talent evaluators had taken notice of Coward’s ability, leading him to commit to Duke out of the transfer portal after the season ended. However, his great combine performance led to him being one of the biggest consensus risers during the draft process, and he chose to stay in the NBA Draft instead of heading to Durham.</p><p>The Grizzlies’ willingness to invest these kinds of assets into getting Coward shows that they have a plan to use him in the rotation early on in his career. If he pans out, he can be a great complement to Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the floor in Memphis.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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Trail Blazers News: Get the latest Portland Trail Blazers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

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• Blazers GM reacts to ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp for shocking pick

• Jake Fischer reveals ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp from Nuggets for surprise Blazers pick

• Blazers stun NBA world with 7-foot-1 Chinese star after trade

• Grizzlies land rising star Cedric Coward in No. 11 pick trade with Blazers

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Latest Trail Blazers News

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• Blazers GM reacts to ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp for shocking pick

• Jake Fischer reveals ‘Chinese Jokic’ comp from Nuggets for surprise Blazers pick

• Blazers stun NBA world with 7-foot-1 Chinese star after trade

• Grizzlies land rising star Cedric Coward in No. 11 pick trade with Blazers

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