Portland Bought the No. 43 Pick for Cash and a Future Second
Portland acquired the draft rights to Greg Brown III, the No. 43 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, from New Orleans for cash and Portland's own 2026 second-round pick. The Trail Blazers were buying a developmental forward with obvious athletic upside at a modest acquisition cost. Brown had averaged 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 block in 26 games as a freshman at Texas, and Portland's official release described him as a high-ceiling prospect. For a team trying to add inexpensive youth around an expensive veteran core, the logic was straightforward.
Brown Reached the Rotation but Never Locked Down a Long-Term Role
Greg Brown III played 64 regular-season games for Portland across two seasons. As a rookie he appeared in 48 games, made six starts and averaged 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.3 minutes. His second season shrank to 16 appearances and 5.8 minutes per game before Portland moved on. Brown later appeared in six games for Dallas, but his Portland tenure never grew into the kind of durable rotation role that would make surrendering a future second look cheap in hindsight. The Blazers did get real NBA minutes from the pick, just not a lasting contributor.
The 2026 Pick Eventually Became a Real Second-Round Asset
The draft component is no longer hypothetical. Basketball-Reference's Portland and New Orleans transaction histories now identify the 2026 second as the pick that later became Ja'Kobi Gillespie, selected No. 42 in the 2026 NBA Draft. Gillespie was drafted by San Antonio, so New Orleans did not simply keep the selection and use it itself; later routing affected the final destination. Still, the original Pelicans return contained a second-round asset that ultimately landed in the upper half of Round 2, plus cash. That realized pick position gives the New Orleans side more substance than a future-pick placeholder suggested at the time.
The Pelicans Took the Better Long-Horizon Side of a Small Deal
This was a minor draft-night transaction, so the grade gap should stay proportional. Portland received 64 games from Brown and gave a young forward a real audition. New Orleans, however, sold the No. 43 rights for cash and a future second that eventually resolved at No. 42. The Pelicans effectively moved down one slot in draft value across five years while also receiving cash, although later transactions mean they cannot be credited with Gillespie's NBA career. The result is not a major win, but the asset math aged better for New Orleans than Portland's short-lived player return.
Final Verdict
Pelicans Win — New Orleans B, Portland C. Portland acquired Greg Brown III at No. 43 and received 64 regular-season games from him over two seasons, including 48 appearances as a rookie. The gamble produced some NBA value but not a lasting rotation player. New Orleans received cash and Portland's 2026 second-round pick, which later resolved to the No. 42 selection used on Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Later routing prevents the Pelicans from being credited with Gillespie himself, but the original asset still matured into a useful second-round slot. For a small draft-night deal, that is enough to preserve the canonical New Orleans edge.