The Portland Trail Blazers are waiting for the offseason.
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, Portland will be willing to trade Anfernie Simons (guard, 191cm, 82kg) for the 2023 first round third pick.
Portland enjoyed the chance to earn a first round, third overall pick in the upcoming 2023 draft. As Portland beat out several competitors and secured a high-ranking draft pick, it secured a great momentum for reinforcement and reorganization.
Portland hasn’t been directly targeting the upcoming draft, even at the beginning of this season. Because the season started off well. However, Portland showed its limits during the season and traded Josh Hart (New York), a key player. They didn’t even make it to the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs. They finished 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 33 wins and 49 losses.
It’s getting a lot of attention in the offseason as well as the coming draft as Portland gets a valuable first-round ticket. Portland wants Damien Lillard to make a big boost as he’s in the prime of his career. If it is the 3rd pick, it is enough to attract attention from other clubs as it is the order in which maximum Scoot Henderson (Ignite) can be called.
Simons is also good enough to add backcourt power. He has appeared in 62 games this season. He recorded 21.1 points (.447 .377 .894), 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35 minutes per game. He averaged over 20 points for the first time since entering the NBA, and had the best year of his career. He’s done well for his worth with an extended contract (four years, $100 million).
This is also a record achieved as Lillard has not played many games due to injury this season. However, Simons’ value is by no means low, considering that no one can raise an average of 20 points given the chance. Add Simons and the pick, and Portland deserves a lot of attention from other clubs. However, it remains to be seen how much power he can add.
Portland hopes to use this opportunity to bolster its perimeter power. Lillard has a solid guard, so it is a plan to increase power by adding an all-star swingman. However, even if the team has the swingman Portland wants, the key is whether the club will trade. This is usually because an elite wingman has a place on a team that already has the strength.스포츠토토
Portland must re-sign Jeremy Grant this summer. With Grant remaining, you can aim to strengthen your power only when you bring in high-quality power through trade. Re-contracts with Cameron Reddish and Matisse Taibull seem unclear at this point. There is also a possibility that young players Shaden Sharp and Nasir Little will be included as trade cards.