In a report by the Associated Press, the Trail Blazers denied having contacted the Lakers about their general manager, Mitch Kupchak. An earlier report suggested that the Blazers were interested in interviewing the Lakers GM for Portland's open position, but so far at least, the Blazers don't seem to have asked permission for an interview.
Portland president Larry Miller said the team will not disclose any specific candidates, but said no person has been interviewed for the position by owner Paul Allen yet. The team is currently under the supervision of interim GM Chad Buchanan, who took over for current Bobcats GM Rich Cho last year. With approximately $25MM in cap space this offseason, the possibility of two lottery picks, a loyal fan base, and a franchise player in LaMarcus Aldridge, being the general manager of the Trail Blazers would appear to be a desirable position, but Allen's unpredictable and unexpected front office personnel decisions in recent years has made the situation quite volatile.
Miller doesn't see it that way. "I think people realize that we're in a good position going into the offseason with the picks that we potentially have, with the cap space that we have. I think it's an attractive situation for somebody. I've gotten no feedback from anyone that people are concerned with where we are. To me, if anything, it's just the opposite."