Trail Blazers hire Sergi Oliva as assistant GM + Could Portland trade up in the NBA Draft

The Portland Trail Blazers front office continues to take shape under Joe Cronin as the team is set to hire Sergi Oliva. This is the third assistant GM Cronin has hired as he fills out his staff with a variety of skill sets. Oliva most recently worked as an assistant coach under Quin Snyder in Utah after six seasons in Philadelphia where he was promoted up the ranks and eventually held the title of Vice President and Director of Analytics and Strategy. Oliva brings a data driven, analytics mind to a front office that recently added Mike Schmitz a ESPN draft analyst praised for his scouting/amateur basketball acumen. In January, the Blazers added assistant GM Andrae Patterson, who took on a player personnel and internal communications role. Cronin is adding balance to his front office with three assistant GMs with specific and diverse background and areas of expertise. To close the show we answer a couple listener questions about trading up in the draft and how the Blazers might respond if one of the top five picks slips to them at the seventh spot on draft night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices