Inside the NBA Draft

The Blazers then agreed to swap their No. 4 pick for Chicago's No. 2 in the mistaken belief that the Bulls were going to take LaMarcus Aldridge. It turns out that the Bulls were always going to go for Tyrus Thomas at No. 2, but they let the Blazers think otherwise in order to force Portland to move forward Viktor Khryapa to Chicago as part of the exchange.

The Blazers sent $1 million to Minnesota to convince the Timberwolves to trade No. 6 pick Brandon Roy to Portland in exchange for Foye; in this case it turns out that the T'wolves always wanted to take Foye at No. 6, but by making it look as if they loved Roy, they squeezed $1 million out of Portland

At the end of the day it looks like Portland could have made the same moves -- acquiring the No. 7 pick, and picking Aldridge and Roy -- without the extra expense.

But it's important to understand the motivations in Portland. Owner Paul Allen is trying to sell the team, and this may have been his last draft. So his front office spared no expense in showing the boss a good time by wheeling and dealing. "This was probably his last time to play,'' notes an Eastern Conference executive. " Paul Allen went out and played.''

The Bulls-Blazers trade of the No. 2 and No. 4 picks went through when Bobcats owner Michael Jordan vowed that he was planning to use his No. 3 pick on a wing player. In the end he chose Adam Morrison over Roy, with Rudy Gay third on his board.... The Sonics wanted to deal their No. 10 pick but could find no takers, so they went with Saer Sene as a long-term project. Unfortunately, he may pay off for a new owner, as the Sonics' franchise is on the market.