While the NBA offseason always begins with a group of players that are expected change teams, there are often names few expected to become available that suddenly hit the trade market. It remains to be seen if this offseason will bring one of those unexpected blockbuster trades, but the NBA is a league notorious for player movement, which is why these moves can never be ruled out.
In a recent report from Portland Trail Blazers insider Sean Highkin , it was revealed that star guard Anfernee Simons is a name to watch for on the trade market.
"Anfernee Simons’ status is worth keeping an eye on," Highkin wrote in an article for The Rose Garden Report. "On draft night, Cronin said the Blazers are ‘committed’ to building around Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, and didn’t mention Simons’ name. Simons also appears open to a move—at his end-of-season exit interview in April, he said he wants ‘the opportunity to win,’ which is very plainly not where the Blazers are right now or will be in the next few years."
Simons is on a four-year, $100M contract that expires after the 2025-26 season, so acquiring him will not be inexpensive. While that contract is cheaper than some of the other potentially available star trade candidates, Simons is still just 25 years old and averaged 22.6 PPG last season, so Portland will want quite the return for him.
There was some belief that Portland would attempt to build around Simons once they traded Damian Lillard, but the organization's belief in Shaedon Sharpe and commitment to Scoot Henderson makes the backcourt a bit crowded.
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