RealGM Basketball Wiretap

02 June 2025

• Blazers Re-Sign Assistants Nate Bjorkgren, Ronnie Burrell

  Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Nate Bjorkgren and Ronnie Burrell will return to Chauncey Billups' staff for next season, sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

  Analytics coach Jacob Mooallem will also return to the team.

  Quinton Crawford was recently announced as a new addition to the coaching staff.

• Quinton Crawford Joins Blazers Coaching Staff As Assistant

  The Portland Trail Blazers added Quinton Crawford to Chauncey Billups' coaching staff, sources told Chris Haynes.

  Crawford previously coached the Stockton Kings to a G League title.

• Bucks Expected To Try To Regain Their Own Draft Capital From Pelicans, Blazers If Giannis Traded

  Because the Milwaukee Bucks owe future first round picks to the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers, there is growing anticipation that they will try to include either team into a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to regain some of their draft capital.

  The Pelicans control Milwaukee's first round picks in 2025, 2026 and 2027 due to the Jrue Holiday trade of 2020, while the Blazers control their picks in 2028, 2029 and 2030 because of the Damian Lillard deal in 2023.

  The Brooklyn Nets similarly reacquired control of their first round picks in 2025 and 2026 from the Houston Rockets as they separately traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks to fully embrace a rebuild.

  As the week opened, there was a report from ESPN that Antetokounmpo was open-minded about a future away from the Bucks for the first time in his career. There has yet to be any publicly known resolution on whether Antetokounmpo will request a trade or decide he prefers to remain with the Bucks.

• Phil Knight Won't Attempt To Purchase Blazers

  Phil Knight is not interested in purchasing the Portland Trail Blazers as the franchise enters the open market. The Nike co-founder previously expressed interest in buying the Blazers following the death of Paul Allen in 2018. Jody Allen rebuffed Knight's offer to buy the Blazers for more than $2 billion in 2022.

  "Five years ago, when I was a younger man, I had a great interest in being a part of the Portland Trail Blazers franchise. However, at my current age, I can confirm that I no longer have interest in acquiring the team," Knight, 87, said in a statement via Nike.

  Allen's estate said in its announcement that the sale of the Blazers is consistent with Allen's "directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all estate proceeds to philanthropy."

  CNBC earlier this year valued the Trail Blazers at $3.65 billion.

• Blazers Begin Formal Process Of Selling Team

  The Portland Trail Blazers will be put up for sale by the estate of Paul G. Allen. Allen & Co and law firm Hogan Lovells will lead the sale process. The Boston Celtics recently sold at a $6.1 billion valuation.

  The franchise has been run by Allen's sister, Jody Allen, since he passed away in 2018.

  The Blazers recently signed Joe Cronin and Chauncey Billups to contract extensions.

• Mavericks Win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery; Spurs, Sixers, Hornets In Top-4

  The NBA held its 2025 Draft Lottery in Chicago on Monday with the Dallas Mavericks winning the lottery with a 1.8 percent chance. The San Antonio Spurs moved up to No. 2 ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3, and Charlotte Hornets at No. 4.

  Cooper Flagg is the presumptive No. 1 pick with Dylan Harper expected to be selected at No. 2. The draft is expected to open up considerably after the first two picks of the draft with a number of candidates vying for consideration at No. 3 and beyond.

  The Mavericks were in the lottery after they traded away Luka Doncic and endured a number of injuries issues for the remainder of the season. Dallas won their initial play-in game against the Sacramento Kings, but were defeated in the second play-in by the Memphis Grizzlies to remain in the lottery.

  2025 NBA Draft Lottery Order

  1. Dallas Mavericks
  2. San Antonio Spurs
  3. Philadelphia 76ers
  4. Charlotte Hornets
  5. Utah Jazz
  6. Washington Wizards
  7. New Orleans Pelicans
  8. Brooklyn Nets
  9. Toronto Raptors
  10. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn via Phoenix)
  11. Portland Trail Blazers
  12. Chicago Bulls
  13. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento)
  14. San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta)

• Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper Widely Expected To Be Top Two Picks At 2025 NBA Draft

  In their latest look at the 2025 NBA Draft, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo broke down who each lottery team could pick, depending on where their pick falls. While things get very interesting depending on who gets the third pick, Cooper Flagg of Duke and Dylan Harper of Rutgers are the consensus first and second picks, respectively.

  The third pick is heavily dependent on which team lands there. Some teams may prefer forward Ace Bailey of Rutgers, while others are higher on guard V.J. Edgecombe of Baylor. Givony and Woo have reached a consensus that Bailey or Edgecombe, in some order, should be the third and fourth players off the board.

  From there, the draft takes a lot of turns. Jeremiah Fears, Tre Johnson, Kasparas Jakucionis, Khaman Maluach, Kon Knuppel and Derik Queen round out the top 10.

• Magic Could Have Interest In Trading For Anfernee Simons

  The Orlando Magic's interest in adding a point guard may have been overstated in recent years. The Magic have been content with Jalen Suggs handling the role, while Paolo Banchero and Franz handle a heavy dose of playmaking.

  After their first-round playoff series loss to the Boston Celtics, Orlando may be re-thinking that approach. One projected target for the Magic could be Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.

  Orlando could use Simons' shooting ability, as the Magic ranked last the NBA in three-point shooting last season. The Orlando native has hit 38.1% of this three-pointers during this seven-year career.

  Simons has one season remaining on his contract at $27.7 million for 2025-26. With the Blazers having Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe as their backcourt of the future, the veteran combo guard has been projected as the odd man out in Portland.

• Blazers Let Go Of Assistant Coaches Roy Rogers, Chris Fleming, Ryan Gomes

  The Portland Trail Blazers will not renew the contracts of Roy Rogers, Chris Fleming and Ryan Gomes, sources told The Oregonian.

  Rogers was the team's defensive coordinator, with Fleming working closely with Scoot Henderson.

  Gomes worked as a player development coach.

  The Blazers extended Chauncey Billups' contract earlier in April.

• Rival Teams Monitoring Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III, Deandre Ayton

  Teams around the NBA are monitoring the situation of the Portland Trail Blazers' Afernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III, and Deandre Ayton, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

  All four players will be on expiring contracts next season.

  Williams has been the frequent target of trade rumors since getting traded to the Blazers.

  The Blazers recently extended general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups.