Trail Blazers Shock the World Again in 2025 NBA Draft

The Portland Trail Blazers made a left turn, then another, then drove the bus into uncharted backwoods territory in the 2025 NBA Draft, leaving analysts puzzled and fans either cursing or praying depending on their proclivities.

The Blazers started the evening with the 11th pick, standing among an acclaimed, deep class of candidates. When they originally ended up with that selection following the 2025 Draft Lottery drawing, General Manager Joe Cronin affirmed that good players would be available at their level.

As it stood, Portland had a selection of hopefuls to choose from: Arizona forward Carter Bryant, Washington State guard Cedric Coward, French forward Noa Essengue among them. Portland selected Coward—one of the high-risers in the pre-draft process—but then immediately traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies for the 16th pick in this year’s draft plus a 2028 first-round pick originally assigned to the Orlando Magic.

In a deep draft, trading down is a valid strategy. It was literally my first thought when surveying this year’s class, a smart, economic course. The Blazers moved down five spots in order to acquire a whole new pick three years from now. That’s a good return.

By the time Portland came up in the order in Memphis’ former spot, all of the players mentioned above were gone, along with centers Derik Queen from Maryland and Thomas Sorber from Georgetown. The only likely candidate remaining from pre-draft discussion was Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis.

The Blazers did not go with the 6’6 backcourt player.

Instead, you could have heard a pin drop as they selected Hansen Yang (in the traditional Eastern name ordering, Yang Hansen) from China.

Recall the commonality between Dr. Seuss’ stories of Horton and The Grinch. That’s exactly what Blazers fans were shouting upon receiving the news.

Yang is a 7’1 center with a 7’3 wingspan. He has a face-up game on offense and can score at the rim. He can pass. He is a decent positional defender inside. He is not mobile. He is not a runner or leaper. Think Donovan Clingan without the proven shot-blocking ability, maybe with slightly more range on offense but not the kind of moves that would allow him to create his own shot.

The advantages of the pick are obvious. Portland now runs two deep with large, lane-bound centers. The disadvantages of the pick are same. Add to that most projections putting Yang in the second round, and you add raised eyebrows to those disadvantages.

The Blazers did not have a second round pick this year. If they couldn’t buy one, or were afraid Yang would be gone by then, selecting him at 16 was their only option. If he really was their target from the start, trading down was a great idea. They got extra value for nothing. They’re geniuses.

If Yang doesn’t pan out, that doesn’t matter much, though. And the jury is still out on that one. Even if he becomes a rotational player, there’s a possibility that “big and less mobile” is not the way to go in the NBA of the near future. He could turn out to be exactly the player he’s meant to be and still not help the Blazers go forward.

Because of Portland’s draft moves, Yang’s success will always be compared to the players the Blazers could have taken with their natural pick. Coward is the first measuring stick. He was considered a sleeper star by some analysts. Cronin and company literally had him in hand. They didn’t keep him. Yang will also need to beat out—or at least equal—Bryant, Queen, Essengue, and Jakucionis in order to keep the Blazers from ruing this day. Not just one of them, all of them.

It doesn’t help that highly-regarded center Khaman Maluach—a mobile leaper with upside and severe shot-blocking, defensive potential—was selected just one pick before the Blazers’ spot.

That Bryant went along with second-overall pick Dylan Harper to the San Antonio Spurs also rubs salt in the wounds. The Spurs beat out Portland for the first-overall pick in 2023, selecting generational center Victor Wembanyama while Portland made do with untried guard Scoot Henderson. San Antonio also got lucky winning the runner-up prize this year. If they get a quality rotation member in Bryant, that’s like your band’s lead singer picking up the bass and making another musician’s talent seem superfluous. If the Spurs Paul McCartney their way through this process while Portland’s front office sits on the curb and busks, this will be remembered as a sad day.

A couple other possibilities would mitigate the story:

• It’s possible that Yang was a favorite of Cronin and Assistant GM Mike Schmitz, who was hired precisely for his acumen evaluating young talent. If Yang is the next star-in-waiting, nobody will have anything but praise for Portland’s front office.
• It’s also possible that this strategy is set up to engineer more trades. We’ll need to wait and see on that one.
• Cronin continues to acquire future picks. The 2028 Orlando selection now joins a 2029 Milwaukee Bucks first-rounder and potential pick swaps with the Bucks in 2028 and 2030. The cupboard is getting fuller over time for Portland, the opposite of what happened under previous GM Neil Olshey. At least Cronin can get full credit for that.

Beyond that, the pronouncement on this draft will be the same as when the Blazers extended Head Coach Chauncey Billups. It also applies to the recent trade that sent young guard Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics for aging and flagging veteran Jrue Holiday.

This had better work…and work well. Actions that fall somewhere in the bell curve of normality can be explained at least, if not understood. When you do something that literally nobody else would have done, or would expect you to do, your safety net is gone. You’re either a mad genius or a fool. There’s no middle ground, no qualification.

We just need to wait and see which applies to Portland’s front office here.

The question is vital. Considering that the draft is the quickest, most economical way for a rebuilding team like Portland to enhance and secure its future, there should be no second chances. If Yang turns out amazing, everyone will cheer. Even becoming a viable NBA player would be enough. But if Yang doesn’t pan out while other potential candidates do, it’ll be an asset flushed by a team that still doesn’t have enough of them, especially compared to their luckier competitors. No franchise can endure that for long.

There is a future in which Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Hansen Yang excel and Joe Cronin looks like a genius. If that’s going to happen, it needs to happen soon. Zigging when the rest of the league zags is a great strategy when it works. If your “zig” takes the bus through guardrails and off a cliff, though? Maybe the other drivers went that way for a reason.

Right now let’s just hope that Essengue and Queen don’t end up dunking over Yang’s head during their respective rookie seasons. That’d be a start, at least.