The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t reached the playoffs since 2020-21 when they pushed the Denver Nuggets to six games in the opening round. They’ve gone 117-211 since. They traded franchise icon Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and made some errors in judgement that include building a frontcourt around the flaky Deandre Ayton.

But General Manager Joe Cronin has also made some wise choices like taking a flier on Shaedon Sharpe with a top-10 pick and trading for Deni Avdija, who’s become one of the most valuable players in the NBA considering his production and contract. Arturas Karnisovas and the Chicago Bulls could learn a few things.

The moves they’ve made over the last three offseasons through the draft, free agency and the trade market helped the Blazers make a run at a spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament in 2024-25 and finish just three games worse than Chicago. Now, Portland’s aiming for a much loftier goal; if the Blazers accomplish it, it will be music to Bulls fans’ ears.

Bulls could stumble into an extra first-round draft pick next season

In the summer of 2021, Chicago, Portland and the Cleveland Cavaliers made a trade that saw Larry Nance Jr. head West to join the Blazers. The Bulls landed Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the deal. Ex-Portland GM Neil Olshey felt comfortable extending the protections on that pick through 2028.

Cronin has done a good enough job rebuilding the Trail Blazers’ roster that he got a shiny new extension, as did head coach Chauncey Billups. Now, Portland is aiming for a playoff berth in 2025-26, per Cronin:

“We have to get through this transaction window before we talk with certainty, but moving forward, the playoffs are definitely a goal. That’s what we’re working toward,” he said in a postseason press conference. “I think (the playoffs are) a reasonable expectation — assuming our guys keep getting better and we do our jobs to keep adding talent to the roster. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be competitive in that regard.”

The Bulls’ pick in this summer’s 2025 NBA Draft is likely to land at No. 12, and the team is in the same boat as the Blazers in terms of aiming for the playoffs. Chicago has its own selection next year, and if Portland makes the playoffs and their 2026 pick lands outside the top 14, the Bulls will get an additional first-rounder.

Would a pick in the late teens have a significant impact on what Chicago is trying to build? Not necessarily. But it opens up other options.

Next year’s draft class is expected to be deeper than this year’s. If Karnisovas is armed with two first-rounders, could he move up the board for a player who could make an immediate impact as a rookie?

As of now, the Bulls are set to have the most cap space in the league next summer. It could be a significant offseason for the organization if it can make a splash in free agency and the draft; being armed with multiple picks gives them more ammunition to do that. Let’s go, Blazers.