4 Anfernee Simons trades the Portland Trail Blazers should consider
The Portland Trail Blazers are faced with a challenging offseason ahead, and one of the most difficult decisions general manager Joe Cronin will have to make will be whether or not to move one of their best players, Anfernee Simons. After last year’s rollercoaster offseason, highlighted by the Damian Lillard blockbuster trade and subsequent Jrue Holiday deal, the Blazers find themselves at a crossroads again.
It’s a similar situation to last offseason, only to a lesser extent. Yet again, their backcourt is too crowded between Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe. With Henderson and Sharpe seemingly being the backcourt duo of the future, Simons’ role and long-term status as a member of the Blazers are in flux.
The following trades are with teams identified as ones that could greatly benefit from Simons’ combo guard abilities, particularly on offense. In all four trades, the Blazers continue their post-Lillard teardown in the form of draft capital, young assets, or a combination of the two.
1. Orlando Magic finally get their guard of the future
The Orlando Magic are seemingly the most popular landing spot for Anfernee Simons. The Magic and Blazers make much sense as potential trade partners in a Simons deal. Following Orlando’s first-round playoff exit, Paolo Banchero told The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver what the team needed to address this offseason.
Simons is more of a combo guard than a traditional pass-first point guard. But, besides that, his game is highly similar to what Banchero mentioned the team is looking to add this offseason. Simons and Banchero could split the role of offensive initiator, and the two would play well off each other; Simons could provide much-needed floor spacing as a career 38.5 percent three-point shooter.
Meanwhile, Portland potentially gets three first-round picks in return. Although, if all three of them conveyed, they’d likely be mid-to-late first-round picks. For this draft in particular, it would give the Blazers another opportunity to address another positional need at pick No. 18. For instance, if they draft two wings (or a wing and a guard) with their first two lottery picks, it would make sense for them to target a big like Zach Edey, Kel’el Ware, or Yves Missi with their additional first-round pick in this scenario.
2. San Antonio Spurs add a better fit for Wemby
Similarly to the Magic, the Spurs make a lot of sense as a potential offseason trade partner with the Blazers. A deal centered around Keldon Johnson in exchange for one of Portland’s guards, either Simons or Malcolm Brogdon, could benefit both parties. The Blazers have a stockpile of guards and could be interested in a well-rounded forward like Johnson to balance their roster better.
Meanwhile, the Spurs desperately need a playmaking guard to get Wembanyama as much help as possible. Simons would be intriguing for San Antonio due to his elite shooting, making it more difficult for teams to double-team Wemby. Because Simons is perceived to have more trade value than Johnson, it makes sense to swap either of the team’s two lottery picks in this upcoming draft.
At No. 4, the Blazers could potentially get Donovan Clingan, who they supposedly are high on. If they decided to trade up for No. 8 instead, Portland could take two back-to-back high upside swings. Some possible prospects include Ron Holland, Cody Williams, or Tidjane Saluan, none of which are guaranteed to still be around at the end of the lottery, especially in this unpredictable draft.
Ultimately, this type of trade depends on how high general manager Joe Cronin and the Blazers are on particular draft prospects and whether they think there’s a significant enough gap between the available players to make a move up worth it.
3. Sacramento Kings make playoff push in loaded West
The Sacramento Kings are another team that could be active on draft day in an attempt to get back to the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference. According to Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto, they reportedly are open to moving Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, or the No. 13 overall pick. Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine could be a trade target, but Anfernee Simons also makes sense.
Simons has similar scoring and shooting ability to LaVine and has shown that he can play off-ball, which could make the backcourt pairing with De’Aaron Fox work. Thybulle would also be an ideal addition for them, as the Kings don’t have much wing depth. He could be tasked with guarding all the superstar wings in the West, including LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant, to name a few. In this trade, the Blazers would give Toumani Camara an increased role following Thybulle’s departure, which would be great for his development.
Kevin Huerter would be an ideal role player for Portland to add; at 25, Huerter fits their rebuilding timeline. Additionally, he fills a roster need as a 6-foot-7 guard who is a career 38.2 percent three-point shooter. The Blazers are already dead last in the league in three-point shooting, and moving Simons would certainly only make matters worse. Including someone like Huerter in the deal would help fill Simons’ shooting void.
Losing both Simons and Thybulle in one deal is a lot of trade value to give up, but having three lottery picks in total should be extremely enticing for the rebuilding Blazers.
4. Toronto Raptors get established pieces to fit their timeline
Another shooter the Blazers can look into acquiring to compensate for Simons’ departure is Gradey Dick. Portland can essentially view this deal as acquiring three first-round picks since the Raptors selected Gradey Dick with last year’s No. 13 overall pick. Losing Robert Williams III would be another blow for Portland. Still, the big man’s health isn’t reliable enough for the Blazers to consider him off-limits, even if he does fit their rebuilding timeline at 26. Williams has played 35 games or less in four of his six NBA seasons.
As mentioned in the Orlando proposed deal involving the No. 18 pick, the Pacers’ No. 19 overall pick would be an excellent opportunity for the Blazers to target a big man. Many exciting options should be available in that range despite a weak draft class. They could potentially select Williams’ replacement in the form of a younger, cheaper, and healthier backup center.
Due to their contradictory moves, the Raptors’ approach to constructing their roster has been unclear in recent seasons. Currently, indications are that they are retooling, but not entirely rebuilding, around 22-year-old Scottie Barnes; this is primarily suggested by their trade with the Knicks for Immanuel Quickley, 25, and RJ Barrett, 24.
Meanwhile, Simons is 25 and would fit nicely with Toronto’s retooling timeline. The Raptors need to surround Barnes with as much shooting as possible to complement their franchise player’s strengths as a playmaker and weaknesses as a shooter. Simons would be a seamless addition as a combo guard who can give the Raptors more lineup versatility.
Another element of this trade worth mentioning is the financial benefits Portland would get from moving Simons and Williams, especially for players and picks who would all be on their rookie deals. Simons is owed $25,892,857 next season, while Williams is owed $12,428,571. The Blazers would offload over $38 million total for next year, which would get them well under the $171 million luxury tax that is projected for next season.
