The Portland Trail Blazers are “open” to trading shooting guard Anfernee Simons this offseason, according to NBA insider Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Portland’s interest in building around superstar point guard Damian Lillard is “genuine.” The franchise could trade Simons and the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“My league sources say that Portland’s interest in building around Lillard is genuine,” O’Connor wrote. “The front office is exploring deals for the no. 3 pick, and it’s also open to moving Anfernee Simons. Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, or Mikal Bridges would make sense as potential targets via trade, but it’s unclear what level of appetite the Blazers have for that kind of trade. Come draft night, they might just pick.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anfernee Simons, Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
The Blazers are under a lot of pressure to surround Lillard with more talent. The future Hall of Famer has remained loyal to the franchise for so many years despite several stars around the NBA requesting trades, but he’s been teasing a potential trade this summer by saying he wouldn’t mind playing for the Miami Heat or Brooklyn Nets.
Simons is a talented scorer who has a lot of upside. He averaged 21.1 points this season while shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc. The Florida native is only 23 years old.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anfernee Simons, Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, the Blazers could package Simons and the third pick to acquire an “elite small forward.”
“Note that I said ‘the team at No. 3’ because of widespread speculation the Trail Blazers, who currently own the pick, will seek to trade out of the third position rather than select another young player,” Hollinger wrote. “With Portland in ‘win it for Dame’ mode and the Blazers desperate for playable wings (even presuming they re-sign Jerami Grant), speculation is already widespread that a package of the third pick and Anfernee Simons might be used to snag an elite small forward.”
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