The Portland Trail Blazers “really like” Victor Oladipo and are considering moving up in the draft to get him, according to a source close to the prospect.

Oladipo expressed interest in playing for the Blazers.

“I would really love to go to Portland, and I'm not just saying that,” Oladipo said. “I hope, and I don't think I'm dropping that far, but if they decided to move up somehow, I think that would be a great situation for me. It's a place where you can just concentrate on basketball.”

Oladipo is projected to go in the top five of the upcoming draft.

The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Nate Tibbetts as an assistant coach on Terry Stotts' staff.

Tibbetts had been with the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2011.

Damian Lillard headlines the 2013 NBA All-Rookie Team as a unanimous selection.

Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Dion Waiters and Harrison Barnes joined Lillard on the All-Rookie First Team.

On the All-Rookie Second Team is Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kyle Singler and Tyler Zeller.

The Portland Trail Blazers have parted ways with longtime athletic trainer Jay Jensen.

Jensen served as the Blazers’ trainer for 19 years.

Jensen came under scrutiny in recent years after Greg Oden and Brandon Roy had their careers compromised because of knee injuries.

Kaleb Canales is leaving the Portland Trail Blazers to take an assistant coaching position with the Dallas Mavericks.

Canales, a finalist for the Blazers' coaching vacancy last offseason that ultimately went to Terry Stotts, served as a defensive coordinator on Portland's staff this season.

Stotts had said he wanted to remove the "coordinator" label and make both ends of the court a team effort from the coaches.

Canales was the Blazers' interim coach in 2012, when the organization fired Nate McMillan.

Damian Lillard has heard the criticism of his defense and took time during Wednesday’s Rookie of the Year presentation to answer his critics.

“When people say stuff about my defense, it bothers me,’’ Lillard said. “And I’m aware of it. It drives me. It lights a fire under me.’’

Lillard plans to study defense this summer under the direction of Gary Payton, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1995-96.

Payton reached out to Lillard watching the rookie point guard score 37 points at Golden State.

“He said ‘I want to help you,’ ’’ Lillard said. “He said it would take time for me to become a defender, but he said I have everything to become one. So this will be the summer where I get in the gym with him and try to learn from him.’’

Neil Olshey is thrilled at the prospect of Lillard working out with Payton.

“The more time Dame spends with Gary this offseason, the more I know Dame will respect that he has to give an incredible effort on the defensive end,’’ Olshey said. “Because if Gary is going to invest time in him talking about defense, Damian is the type of kid who will feel like he has to deliver.’’

Damian Lillard unanimously won the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Lillard was selected sixth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers with a draft pick acquired from the Brooklyn Nets for Gerald Wallace.

Lillard averaged 19.0 points and 6.5 assists per game.

Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal finished second and third respectively.

Andre Drummond, Dion Waiters, Harrison Barnes, Chris Copeland, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jonas Valanciunas and John Jenkins also received votes.

Jermaine O'Neal openly talked about returning to the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason as a free agent.

O'Neal was a first round pick by the Blazers in the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school.

“I'm very open to Portland. They're definitely a team I'm looking forward to having talks with this summer,” O'Neal said. “LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Damian [Lillard] along with [Nicolas] Batum are some great pieces to build around. All they need to do is shore up the bench and add a paint presence on defense and they'll be right there. It's hard to put that type of stress on your starting five and I know I can help ease some of that stress.”

O'Neal played for the Phoenix Suns this past season.

“Portland is a team I have to look at this summer. That city has always been in my heart because one: Mr. [Paul] Allen gave me my opportunity, and two: that city took me in as their second child,” he explained. “I didn't play for two or three years but you couldn't tell. The organization and the fans really allowed me to grow at my own pace. It's a special place to me. I met my wife in Portland. At this point for me, it's all about competing and winning and the Blazers are doing those things.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers have held internal discussions of pursuing a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge, according to sources.

The Cavaliers have enough assets in the form of young players and picks to acquire a player of Aldridge's caliber, but the front office is said to value Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters higher than the rest of the NBA.

Neil Olshey is targeting a draft day trade in which the Portland Trail Blazers absorb the contract of a proven, defensive center in exchange for one or more draft picks.

"We are going to be aggressive to construct a deal to make the team better on draft night," Olshey said.

Anderson Varejao has been mentioned as a possible target of the Blazers, who want to upgrade at center from J.J. Hickson.

The Blazers could use most of their expected $11.6 million in cap space to execute the trade.

"If there is a player under contract that we can absorb into our room on a team that values a draft pick more than the established player, or they are moving in a different direction and it moves us forward faster, it's clearly what we are going to do," Olshey said.