Armed with a war chest of draft capital, Portland is aggressively targeting elite talent to redefine their roster as league insiders reveal pursuit of multiple All-NBA stars.
The Portland Trail Blazers are officially star hunting.
After opting against trading back into the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday — the same day Portland tabbed Micah Nori as the franchise's next head coach — it appears the Blazers are turning their attention toward acquiring a big name.
While appearing on Get Up, ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed Portland's interest in both Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball before they were dealt to the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively.
"They had interest in LaMelo Ball. They had interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo. They are a team that has a ton of draft capital. They've got a ton of young talent on this team," Charania said.
But that's not all.
"Portland has been a team that has interest in Jaylen Brown," he said.
Charania essentially confirmed what we all thought Portland was doing behind the scenes during the Antetokounmpo negotiations. The Blazers were heavily listed as a possible third team in the deal should the "Greek Freak" have landed with the Boston Celtics.
The speculation was that Boston would send Brown to Milwaukee, who'd reroute the 2024 Finals MVP to Portland in an attempt to regain control of their picks in 2028 and 2030.
While that framework is no longer possible, that doesn't end Portland's chances of landing Brown.
"Jaylen Brown has three years left on his deal," Charania stated. "If you're the Portland Trail Blazers and you have the assets and the capability to go get a Jaylen Brown, there's not that worry that, 'Hey, he might not extend long-term.' He's already in long-term."
The Celtics have clearly been after a center, and the Blazers do have one that would likely pique Boston's interest in Donovan Clingan, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Now, Portland's brass should absolutely try to get this deal done without giving up its franchise big man. Clingan proved himself to be a cornerstone of the organization moving forward in his second year as a pro — which is exactly why the Celtics would want him.
If GM Joe Cronin can manage to sway Boston into accepting a package built around Jerami Grant, either Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe and future draft capital, a trade for Brown is an absolute no-brainer.
Otherwise, if the Celtics demand Clingan be thrown into the haul, the Blazers could easily miss out on Brown just as they did Antetokounmpo and Ball.
