Bleacher Report

The Portland Trail Blazers coming off their worst season since 2005-06 raises the stakes entering the lottery and 2022 NBA draft. Getting that top pick could launch them back on track by pairing Damian Lillard with a young star and making the team more attractive to free agents. Interim general manager Joe Cronin created extra cap flexibility after the CJ McCollum-Josh Hart trade, but with Lillard now 31 and returning from an injury that limited him to 29 games, the Blazers' window is now. June 23 represents an important night for a franchise that has only added Nassir Little, Greg Brown and CJ Elleby over the past three drafts. The Blazers have a 9 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick and a 37.2 percent chance of jumping into the top four.