Trail Blazers News: Proposed Trade Sends Anfernee Simons To Eastern Conference
The Portland Trail Blazers enter the offseason looking to continue their rebuild after trading away star guard Damian Lillard last year. Portland has a few pieces that could be intriguing to opposing teams and they could look to change things up this offseason.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report put together some trades that would shake up the 2024 Draft and the Trail Blazers were included. He had Portland acquiring guard Cole Anthony, the No. 18 pick, and a 2025 first-rounder from the Orlando Magic for guard Anfernee Simons.
"Portland could ask for more, but this package serves a multitude of purposes: It nets two additional first-rounders, lands a reasonably paid and capable backup guard and nudges the payroll (comfortably) outside tax territory."
While the idea of losing Simons may not be a popular one among fans, it could net the Trail Blazers some additional assets that they can use down the line. A trade with the Magic could make sense as they are looking for another guard to play next to Jalen Suggs so Portland could be the answer.
Favale does mention that Portland could ask for Anthony Black but it could come at the cost of losing one of the first-rounders coming back.
"The Blazers can ask for Anthony Black instead of Anthony or one of the firsts, and the Magic would probably listen. But his developmental arc in Portland profiles as finicky given his shaky jumper, and he's unlikely to ever graduate to closing lineups with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe in the mix. Now, if the Blazers think he can defend wings full-time, this becomes a different story. But if the Magic are giving up Black, the framework probably shifts to him and one of these first alone."
It's unlikely that Portland ends up trading Simons but this is certainly an interesting trade proposal. The Trail Blazers have a lot of questions that need to be answered this summer and many of them could be answered on draft night.
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MATT LEVINE
Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.