Trade winds scatter stars
Posted by Joe Freeman, The Oregonian June 26, 2008 23:20PM

The Blazers trade every player they draft, making a five-player deal with Indiana to acquire Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless

The Trail Blazers did not make any earth-shattering, franchise-changing selections during Thursday's NBA draft. They did not jettison their leading scorer, acquire an All-Star-in-waiting or overhaul the youngest team in franchise history.

No, if anything, general manager Kevin Pritchard displayed a new and unexpected trait through all the draft-day wheeling and dealing: restraint.

Entering with five picks, Pritchard had another active draft as the Blazers orchestrated five trades while acquiring two prospects and one reserve veteran. But through all the moves, Pritchard resisted the urge to shakeup the Blazers' roster, instead adding subtle pieces to an already-loaded lineup -- the most notable piece being Arizona point guard Jerryd Bayless.

"It was a very exciting day," said a vague Pritchard, who by league rules could not discuss in detail any of his draft moves Thursday night. "We went into it with many different options and we didn't know how it would shake out. But I can tell you right now I'm on cloud nine. We feel like we really improved our team."

Pritchard, who had made 10 draft-day trades the past two seasons, concocted another confusing series of moves Thursday. When it was finished, the Blazers left without adding any of the players they actually drafted.

First, the Blazers bought the draft rights to the No. 27 overall selection from New Orleans and later spun that pick (Kansas' Darrell Arthur), along with No.33 (Memphis' Joey Dorsey), to Houston for the draft rights to Nicolas Batum, a 19-year-old guard/forward from France.

The Blazers ended the night by trading the draft rights of the NBA Development League's Mike Taylor to the Los Angeles Clippers for a second-round pick in 2009, and by trading the No.36 selection, center Omer Asik of Turkey, to the Chicago Bulls for three future second-round selections.

In between, Pritchard made his biggest splash, acquiring Bayless, one of the Blazers' top draft targets and among the top freshman guards in college basketball last season. The Blazers landed Bayless -- and fourth-year forward Ike Diogu -- by trading reserve point guard Jarrett Jack, reserve forward Josh McRoberts and the draft rights to the No. 13 pick (Brandon Rush of Kansas) to Indiana.

Bayless, an athletic 6-foot-3 point guard who can also play shooting guard, was considered among the top five players heading into the draft, but saw his stock drop on draft day. The Blazers had him ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the draft.

"I really like him; I think he's a heck of a player," Pritchard said.

Last season, Bayless became the first freshman to lead Arizona in scoring since Sean Elliott in 1985-86, and he finished third in the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring, averaging 19.7 points. The honorable mention All-American averaged 4.0 assists.

The Blazers likely will plug him into their point guard rotation in place of Jack, probably as a backup to starter Steve Blake.

Jack seemed to fall out of favor with the Blazers last season. After starting the first three games -- all road defeats -- he was benched in favor of Blake and never regained the job full-time. He averaged 9.9 points and 3.8 assists in 82 games, but regularly made head-scratching turnovers and was plagued by inconsistency.

Contacted at his home in Washington, D.C., Jack expressed regret but said he was not surprised by the trade.

"I liked it in Portland," he said. "I view it as time well spent. This is a new beginning in Indy."

The Blazers get a new point guard, their most glaring roster weakness. Heading into the draft, they seemed to be targeting Russell Westbrook, a sophomore from UCLA, and D.J. Augustin, a sophomore from Texas. Each excelled and drew praise from the Blazers during predraft workouts. But each player also was gone by the No. 13 pick.

Westbrook, who was thought to be the Blazers' No. 1 draft target, saw his stock rise perhaps more than any player Thursday, and was selected fourth overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. Augustin was picked five spots later by the Charlotte Bobcats at No.9.

Instead, the Blazers ended up with Bayless, who did not work out for them during the predraft process but got a ringing endorsement from Blazers forward Channing Frye, who attended the same high school (St. Mary's of Phoenix) and college as Bayless.

"He is extremely competitive and he is an extremely good talent," Channing Frye told The Oregonian in an e-mail. "I'm happy we have him here and he's gonna make us better, not only on the court, but off."

One thing Pritchard did fail to acquire through all of his draft-day maneuvering was experience, something coach Nate McMillan had asked for after last season. If anything, the team that began last season as the NBA's youngest only got younger.

Hours before the draft, veteran forward James Jones decided not to exercise a player option for roughly $3.1 million for next season, making him a free agent. And in trading Jack, the Blazers jettisoned a player who had started 99 games the past three seasons, including opening night each of the past two seasons.

Assuming Spaniard Rudy Fernandez joins the team, the Blazers' average age will be 24.7 next season. At the end of last season, the Blazers' average age was 24.0, and the average age of their starting unit was 22.8.

Pritchard was in extensive talks with multiple teams before and during the draft, and some of the talks involved veteran players. Although talks collapsed, McMillan left the draft pleased.

"The group we have, I'm excited about," he said. "I think we have a balanced roster. I think it's a good group to go into the season with."

The Blazers may have had another wild draft day, but Pritchard did not do anything to jeopardize the long-term stability of one of the league's most promising teams.

"As we look at our first team, and who could potentially be backing them up. ... I kind of like our top 10 -- a lot," Pritchard said. "I think there's some tinkering (to be done), but I like this team."