One NBA writer thinks the Portland Trail Blazers will trade Anfernee Simons to the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason.
Ian Levy of Fansided believes the Blazers will trade Simons and the third overall pick in this year’s draft for All-Star small forward Brandon Ingram, giving superstar point guard Damian Lillard more help.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Blazers continue to intimate that they are prepared to package Simons with the No. 3 overall pick in a trade to acquire win-now talent
“The Trail Blazers, league sources say, continue to intimate that they are prepared to package Anfernee Simons with the No. 3 overall pick in a trade to acquire win-now talent to place alongside star guard Damian Lillard,” Stein wrote. “Teams interested in trading for Lillard, meanwhile, continue to root for Portland’s inability to find a suitable win-now trade in the hope that it finally prompts Lillard to seek his exit from the Pacific Northwest.”
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 past season while shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc. The Florida native is only 23 years old.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, the Blazers could package Simons and the third pick to acquire an “elite small forward.” Ingram would fit that bill.
“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.”