Should the Nets consider trading for Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons?

The Brooklyn Nets have finally decided that they are going to enter a rebuild with the hopes of drafting their next superstar in the next few years. While Brooklyn is hoping to find their own star players through the draft and develop them, it doesn’t mean that they can’t look for players on other teams.

During his appearance on “The Drive Guys” show with Kevin Gleason and Kyle Draper of Sactown Sports 1140, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian said that the goal for the Portland Trail Blazers is trading guard Anfernee Simons or forward Jerami Grant. With the Trail Blazers having both Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe within the guard rotation, it makes sense that Portland could be looking to move on from Simons.

“I would be surprised if one of the two is not moved. I was told that’s definitely the goal that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp,” Fentress said. If what Fentress was told checks out, that could mean that Simons could be had for a reasonable price, although he is one of the more promising young guards in the NBA.

For the Nets, their current guard rotation looks to be Dennis Schroder and Ben Simmons at point guard with players like Cam Thomas and Keon Johnson likely to fill the shooting guard roles. With Schroder and Simmons heading into the last year of their respective contracts, it would be smart of Brooklyn to plan for their future at the guard position to pair with Thomas.

Simons, 25, is coming off a 2023-24 season in which he averaged 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 43.0% from the field and 38.5% from three-point range. However, Simons played in just 46 games last season as he missed over a month of action to begin the season due to thumb surgery.