Blazers’ ‘goal’ to move Anfernee Simons?: 5 landing spots
PORTLAND, Ore. (BVM) – Late last offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers made a franchise-altering trade as they dealt Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Just under a year later, the Blazers may be looking to deal another star before training camp begins.
Recently, Blazers beat writer Aaron J. Fentress said during an interview on Sactown Sports 1140’s “Stiles & Watkins” that he would be “surprised” if either Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons are not moved before training camp in the fall while also mentioning that he was told “that’s definitely the goal” for Portland.
While Grant would likely spark interest for many teams, Simons is probably the more intriguing trade target of the pair as the 2018 first-round pick has developed into a premier scorer in the Western Conference in recent years. In 2022-23, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard averaged 21.1 points while playing a career-high 35 minutes per game for the Trail Blazers.
Despite being hampered by injuries at times last season, Simons still managed to average a career-best 22.6 points in addition to 5.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 43% from the field, 38.5% from 3-point range and 91.6% from the free-throw line.
Still just 25 years old, Simons’ youth and proven scoring ability in recent years make him an intriguing late offseason trade target should the Blazers follow through with looking to deal one of their leading scorers. Here are five potential landing spots for Simons if he is dealt.
