Image Source: GETTY IMAGES
[Saba Sports News] For the second consecutive offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers might trade their top scorer.
Longtime Blazers writer Sean Highkin reported this week that guard Anfernee Simons is a potential trade candidate this offseason. Highkin adds that Simons seems open to a move out of Portland as well.
Trading Simons would be surprising for several reasons. He is the longest-tenured Blazer, having been drafted in 2018, yet he is only 25 years old. Simons is a true three-level scorer, leading the Blazers with 22.6 points per game last season while shooting 38.5 percent from deep. Additionally, he was seen by some as the heir apparent in Portland after the Damian Lillard trade last summer and still has multiple seasons left on his contract. The recent additions of center Donovan Clingan (via the draft) and forward Deni Avdija (via trade) do not threaten his role.
However, Simons benefited last season from down years by fellow Blazers guards. Shaedon Sharpe, 21, missed most of the season due to injury, and Scoot Henderson, 20, struggled as a rookie. If Portland believes these younger guards are the future, the ex-Slam Dunk Contest champion Simons could become trade bait. This would only add to the uncertainty surrounding the Blazers heading into next season, including their head coach.