Blazers looking to move up in draft, take point guard

The Trail Blazers, who own the 21st pick, are looking to move up in the June 24 draft.

According to a league source, Portland would like to get into the top seven to be in position to take Connecticut point guard Kemba Walker. That might mean packaging veteran point guard Andre Miller and the No. 21 pick for another team’s player along with a top-seven pick.

Acting general manager Chad Buchanan was noncommital on the report.

“Any possible avenue that will improve our team — moving up in the draft, a trade, whatever — we will consider,” Buchanan said.

It appears as if the Blazers aren’t close to making a decision on their two major items of business outside the draft before July 1 –– the contracts of center Greg Oden and Miller. The day after the NBA finals end, the Blazers can extend Oden a one-year qualifying offer ($8.8 million) or a more long-term deal. Or they can match any offer Oden receives from another team. The Blazers have until June 29 to exercise the $7.8-million option on the final year of Miller’s pact.

“We’re going to take our time,” Buchanan said. “We discuss it on a daily basis as a group (including Born, Branch, assistant GM Steve Rosenberry and chief scout Joe Cronin), along with (team president) Larry Miller and (coach) Nate McMillan. We feel we have a direction on where we want to go, but we’re going to be very deliberate in making the right decision on both of those things.”