The Portland Trail Blazers resumed the pre-draft workout cycle on Tuesday, hosting their first group of NBA Draft prospects at the Tualatin practice facility in nearly three weeks. It also marked the organization’s first pre-draft workout since the Blazers received the No. 11 pick in May’s NBA Draft Lottery.
Similar to the other two workouts Portland hosted this spring, Tuesday’s workout didn’t feature any projected lottery picks or even any projected first-rounders. Instead, the group of six prospects included players who aren’t guaranteed to come off the board in late June — second-round hopefuls and G League candidates, along with one player who seems to be testing the waters before returning to school in the fall.
College basketball mainstay Caleb Love headlined the group. The 23-year-old guard split his five collegiate seasons between North Carolina and Arizona, making a national title appearance with the former in 2022.
The rest of the upperclassmen-heavy group included 6-foot-8 senior forward Zach Hicks from Penn State; 6-foot-7 senior forward Zach Austin from Pittsburgh; 6-foot-5 senior guard Chris Manon from Vanderbilt; 6-foot senior guard Wade Taylor IV from Texas A&M; and 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Money Williams from Montana.
The Blazers enter this draft with only the No. 11 pick. Even without second-round picks, it’s still common practice for NBA teams to work out prospects who are projected to go deep in the draft. There’s always the possibility the Blazers trade into the second round or trade for a second-round prospect on Draft Night (or later on, say right before training camp in a deal that nets someone like 52nd pick Toumani Camara). There’s always a chance at reconnecting with players through Summer League or the G League as well.
Following Tuesday’s workout, some of the prospects — Love, Taylor and Williams — spoke with media about the experience. Below are quotes from each interview, as well as some extra information on each prospect.
Caleb Love, Senior, G, 6’4, Arizona Wildcats
Love enters the NBA Draft with the track record of an elite college basketball player, topped by that 2022 national title appearance and the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year award. However, he’s still only projected as the 68th best prospect on NBA Draft.net’s Big Board (the only player from this bunch to appear on that list of 100 players).
In his fifth and final season at Arizona, Love averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 39.8% from the field and 34% from behind the 3-point line.
This was Love’s second workout of the pre-draft process, following a previous workout with the Orlando Magic. He said he’s trying to showcase his defensive ability to NBA teams.
“That’s something that a lot of scouts and a lot of my coaches have been saying that I need to be great at to get on the floor, so that’s what I’m mainly trying to show,” Love said. “But I’m pretty versatile. Whatever role you put me in, I feel like I can succeed.”
Money Williams, 6’4, Sophomore, G, Montana Grizzlies
As a sophomore this past season, Williams was the leading scorer on a Montana team that won the Big Sky Tournament and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed before falling to the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 34.1% on 3s.
Williams’ short college tenure has also been impacted by tragedy. Almost a year to the date of his father’s death, Williams’ mother passed away in October 2024. On Tuesday, he said his hometown community in Oakland has helped him deal with the loss of his parents while helping him maintain his NBA aspirations.
“One word: community,” Williams said. “Family, friends, they’re just staying in my ear, supporting me through thick and thin. That’s keeping me going.”
This was Williams’ second workout, following one with the Houston Rockets. He said the experiences have been great, while also calling them a wakeup call to get back in the lab and continue to separate himself from the competition. Williams is an example of a prospect who entered the pre-draft cycle, but plans to withdraw his name before the May 28 deadline so he can maintain his college eligibility for another season and head into the draft at a later year.
“I’m just testing the waters to kinda see where I’m at,” he said. “I feel good where I’m at. Obviously, I need some more work, but next year, I’m pretty sure I’ll be more confident.”
Wade Taylor IV, G, 6’0, Senior, Texas A&M
Taylor averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 35.4% from the field and 31.8% from the 3-point line this past season. His Aggies bowed out of the second round of March Madness as the No. 4 seed.
This was Taylor’s first pre-draft workout. He called it a blessing to live out a childhood dream. Still, he said was approaching the process with a business mindset.
“Coming from Texas A&M and [Coach Buzz Williams], we treat everything as business,” Taylor said. “This is a job interview. I’m not in a suit and tie, I’m in a basketball jersey, but I’m interviewing for hopefully a job.”
With the lottery behind us, and the NBA Draft less than a month away now on June 25-26, prime candidates for that No. 11 pick should be stopping by the Rose City for workouts soon.