We’ve got a lay of the land at this point in the NBA season. We know where teams stand. Some teams entered the season with championship aspirations, which look unrealistic by now.
Take the Los Angeles Lakers. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, they had title hopes. At this point, it doesn’t look like they’ll satisfy those hopes. With that in mind, the Lakers might be thinking about the summer already.
By contrast, the Portland Trail Blazers are thinking about the distant future. This team didn’t have title aspirations – they knew they’d be among the worst teams in the league this year. That’s likely to be the case next year as well. Could the Blazers send Anfernee Simons to the Lakers with that in mind?
NBA Trade Proposal
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F Rui Hachimura, G Gabe Vincent, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2031 First-Round Pick (LAL)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Anfernee Simons
On the other hand, there’s plenty of season left. We shouldn’t make assumptions about where teams will end up by the end of the year. Who knows? The Lakers could find their footing and make a deep playoff run.
We shouldn’t make assumptions about a team’s long-term vision either. The Blazers may not be content to play the lottery for long. This small market organization may be hoping to get back to the playoffs as soon as possible.
This is what makes the NBA such a wonderful league. It’s wildly unpredictable. With that in mind, we’ll try to make a prediction anyway. Could the Blazers move Simons this summer?
Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do The Deal
The Blazers may not want to lose Simons. That would be reasonable. He’s young, and he’s already productive.
At the same time, it’s fair to question what the Blazers see for the future. Between Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Simons, this team has a lot of backcourt talent. Arguably, they have too many guards. Sharpe could play the 3, but with Henderson and Simons in the backcourt, that could be a defensive disaster.
So, the Blazers could also justify flipping Simons for assets. Here, they’re getting a pair of highly valuable first-round picks from an aging Lakers team. Should the Lakers give up that draft capital?
Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal
We may be in the middle of the season. We’re already hearing speculation about James leaving the Lakers this summer. Given their place in the Western Conference standings, that’s understandable.
James says he wants to stay in Los Angeles. If that’s true, this team needs to make some upgrades. The Lakers will be wasting the end of James’ career by trotting out the same roster next season. They need a guard who can space the floor, handle the ball, and create shots.
Simons is precisely that player. He’ll make a perfect third star alongside James and Davis. If the Lakers make this move, they’ll change their position in the NBA’s landscape.
