Los Angeles Lakers get high mark in complete 2017 NBA Draft first round grades

The Blazers came into the 2017 NBA Draft with three first round picks; numbers 15, 20, and 26. They decided to use some of that ammunition to move up to the 10th spot, which was originally owned by the Sacramento Kings. The Blazers would trade No. 15 and 20 to the Kings to move up and select Gonzaga power forward/center, Zach Collins.

It was a good trade for the Trail Blazers. They have no room for three rookies on their roster, so packaging two of the picks to move up in the draft was a smart decision. The only knock against the trade is that it didn’t help them slash any salary; there were rumors the Blazers would attach a draft pick to a player to shed some salary.

While the Blazers didn’t slash salary, they added a great prospect in Collins. While Collins didn’t start at Gonzaga, he was one of the most productive players in the nation. He played only 17.3 minutes per game, yet still averaged 10 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.

Collins should immediately help shore up a Blazers frontcourt that got nothing out of free agent Festus Ezeli last season. Now, with Collins and Jusuf Nurkic in the fold, the Blazers have two high upside centers that could even play alongside each other; Collins knocked down 47.6 percent of his three-pointers last season, albeit on fewer than one attempt per game.

The Blazers didn’t shed salary as they hoped but landed one of the best prospects in this year’s draft class in Collins.