Since drafting Anfernee Simons in June 2018, the youngster has become quite the player. For the first few seasons of his career, Simons saw limited playing time, backing up Portland Trail Blazer favorites Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. At the time, this pairing was considered one of the best backcourts in the league—a duo that could score on and off the ball and take turns leading the team’s offense. This left little room for Simons to grow on the court as a young player, as the Blazers were competitive among the Western Conference playoff teams. However, the Dame and CJ era has been over for some time. While breaking up an iconic duo for the franchise obviously left some fans in pain, the overall consensus is that Anfernee Simons would have the opportunity to break out.
But then, the Blazers drafted Scoot Henderson, a highly touted guard prospect out of the G-League who looked to be the franchise centerpiece in the future. While Simons was clearly the better player, this pick left the franchise in a tough position to balance the guard rotation around three extremely young, talented, but unproven players in Scoot, Shaedon Sharpe, and Simons. This problem and a lackluster roster resulted in the Blazers winning only 21 games this past season, landing them in last place in the Western Conference. While this wasn’t far from the projections for team success, the resulting play on the court was just as disjointed and sloppy as the most cynical critics could’ve predicted. Combined with the disappointing results of the NBA draft lottery, the Blazers organization is stuck going upstream without a paddle. These factors leave the team with questions about their three young guards, who all deserve a chance in this league. The question is, will that be with the Trail Blazers?
At this point, the guard who should be on his way out is Anfernee Simons. Not only does he have the most value in the trade market, but he also deserves the opportunity to be a crucial part of a competitive team. Simons studied under Lillard and adopted his mannerisms, scoring moves, and shooting prowess. His skill set fits perfectly on a team like the Orlando Magic, whose elite defense could only be stifled by their stagnant offense. In the playoffs, the Magic’s roster showed its holes by struggling to find buckets late at the end of games against the Cavaliers. The team’s second “rising star,” Franz Wagner, could not hit from beyond the three-point line. Bringing in Simons would shore up this flaw in the team’s design and open up the floor for Paolo and Franz alike.
Who precisely the Blazers would request in return for Simons is tricky. They have holes all over the roster, and one player from the Magic isn’t going to fix the team’s problems. In my opinion, the trade that works best is a one-for-one with Jonathan Isaac. Not only does Isaac fill a huge hole defensively on the Blazers’ roster, but he is also a player who doesn’t require the ball on offense—at all. Isaac is a non-threat outside the restricted area, allowing Shaedon and Scoot complete control of the offense. The Blazers would obviously miss Simons’ offensive production, but his lack of defensive ability is one of the last reminders of the Lillard era. It would be best for the Blazers to clean house and move on from that period in franchise history, ultimately handing the keys over to Shaedon and Scoot.
