Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons injured his right thumb on October 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers and an MRI revealed a tear of his ulnar collateral ligament.
Simons is set to have surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Simons played 27 minutes versus the Clippers. He finished with 18 points and four assists while shooting 6-of-14 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers Updates
The Blazers lost to the Clippers by 12 points. Portland is in rebuild mode after trading seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Lillard wanted to get traded to the Miami Heat, but Portland and Miami weren’t able to make a deal.
Simons has career averages of 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists with the Blazers. He averaged 21.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 62 games last season.
Several NBA scouts believe Simons is better suited to play somewhere else since the Blazers have Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe on the roster. Portland was open to trading Simons and the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft for a star player. However, no trade happened and the franchise drafted Henderson.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Simons, who made 212 3-pointers last season, signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Blazers in July 2022. He’s making $24 million this season. Hopefully, Simons’ surgery goes well and he’s back on the court soon. Portland will miss his scoring, playmaking and leadership while he’s out.
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