In ESPN’s latest NBA prospect rankings, the slotting took a back seat to Jonathan Givony’s insight around the league. Over the past few weeks, the Portland Trail Blazers have been working out players for both their first (#7 and #14) and second (#34 and #40) round picks. This includes Dalton Knecht, Jared McCain, and Kel’el Ware. However, Givony notes that Clingan has already quietly visited Portland for a workout.
Clingan isn’t expected to drop past the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7, whom he just visited for a private workout as well. He is being discussed among teams as a possible target for the likes of Chicago, Memphis, Oklahoma City or Utah, who all might explore trading up for a player in his mold.
Elsewhere, a player previously projected in the top ten, Ron Holland, has fallen to 11th. But he’s working out with teams below the lottery.
He has fans among teams drafting in the top 10 but is casting a fairly wide net in workouts, including teams such as the Miami Heat at No. 15 and the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 17, in part because of his strong positional fit in those attractive markets.
It’s understandable that Holland may be interested in being drafted with those teams, even if it means he falls down the draft a bit. But he also might be making a case to those teams for trading up the draft.
Let’s take a look at ESPN’s overall rankings. Remember this is not an actual mock draft! Here are a few rankings for players often discussed at Blazer’s Edge:
3. Donovan Clingan
7. Rob Dillingham
9. Tidjane Salaun
16. Zach Edey
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