The Portland Trail Blazers have two lottery picks that could move up in next month's NBA Draft.
In one proposed trade from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, the Blazers would send Jeremy Grant and the 14th overall pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason and the third overall pick.
Rumors quickly spread that Houston might trade the No. 3 pick for existing talent, but finding the right player could be tough: The Rockets don't need a point guard or center, but they do need more 3-point shooting than a player like Brandon Ingram can provide, and they may not yet be ready to shell out the assets necessary to acquire a star like Donovan Mitchell.
But what about trading down the line to upgrade their current talent level and retain a lottery pick? Given the number of up-and-coming players Houston will ultimately have to pay, consolidating some assets could become necessary sooner than later, so that possibility should be on the front office's radar.
The Rockets have to worry about paying the salary of their own talent, but a trade that includes Eason and the No. 3 overall pick for Grant is not on the cards.
One could argue that the Blazers would get the three best assets in the entire deal, so it would almost certainly be a given that the Rockets would turn down the offer.
But moving up in the lottery rankings is something the Blazers should consider, especially if there's a prospect the team likes.
