Portland Trail Blazers Trade Rumors: NBA Expert Hints At Fourth First-Round Pick

Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors now reveal new chatter about the team acquiring a fourth first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Could the Blazers really pull off another trade before the February 23 NBA trade deadline? One expert has already left a heavy hint about it on social media.

In a live report from his Facebook page, NBA analyst Ardian Wojnarowski stated that fans shouldn’t, “be surprised if Portland ends up with four first-round picks by the end of the day.” This could serve as frustrating news to the contingent of Blazers fans who feel the team needs to do everything possible to make the 2017 NBA Playoffs. At this point, though, it would be very difficult for the current roster to clinch that No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the front office in Portland has been listening to offers for guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. While Blazers general manager Neil Olshey hasn’t publicly stated that either player is available, he has still been taking offers from other teams. Would Olshey actually deal one of the fan favorites if another franchise offered to overpay for them?

Most teams around the league return to action Thursday night (Feb. 23) following the long All-Star break. The Blazers are on the road to play the Orlando Magic, with tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m. PT. In the race to possibly make the postseason, this game becomes a must-win situation for the Blazers as they try to catch the eighth-place Denver Nuggets. Currently, the 23-33 Blazers have a two-game deficit to make up with 26 games left in the regular season.

In regard to these latest Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors, the team already possesses three first-round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft. In addition to their own pick, the Blazers also own the first-round selections of the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Blazers acquired the pick from the Cavs in exchange for a future selection and the pick from Memphis came via the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Mason Plumlee.

So who could the Blazers trade in order to acquire another first-round pick? Players who have been mentioned in prior NBA trade rumors include Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu, Allen Crabbe, Noah Vonleh, and Ed Davis. Teams with selections toward the end of the first-round could look to acquire one of these role players in exchange for a pick. While there is nothing that appears imminent, it was also a shocking experience for fans when it appeared that Mason Plumlee had suddenly been traded for a pick.

There are going to be a lot of new Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors as the clock ticks down on the 12 p.m. PT trade deadline on February 23. What many fans have complained about on social media is that GM Neil Olshey hasn’t deemed Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as unavailable in any deal. The term “untouchable” might not be in his vocabulary, though, as he has shown in the past a willingness to deal fan favorites. That includes trading Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets and Mason Plumlee to the Denver Nuggets.

Big names like Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Millsap, Jimmy Butler, Hassan Whiteside, and even Dwyane Wade have come up in recent NBA trade rumors. There are also a number of blockbuster trades that have been discussed in regard to those players, even though it would be tough to pry any of them away from their current teams. As the Sacramento Kings already showed with DeMarcus Cousins, though, big trades are certainly possible before the deadline. Could another Portland Trail Blazers trade go down in the next few hours?

[Featured Image by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images]