When the Portland Trail Blazers acquired the New Orleans’ Pelicans pick that had potential to land in the lottery for the upcoming draft, many fans wondered if the team could package that pick into a veteran and use the higher pick to draft a rookie.
At the time of the trade, the Pelicans were not projected to make the playoffs. But after a strong run at the end of the season, they qualified for the playoffs, leaving the Blazers only with their own pick.
Drafting two rookies was questionable, which is why trading the other pick for a veteran made sense.