After moving Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers entered a new era, one that would be led by their young talents such as Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson, the third pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. As the Blazers began their rebuild, the 2023-24 season went as expected — a 21-61 record and a last-place finish in the Western Conference standings.
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the Blazers once again seem destined to miss the playoffs, yet what their roster will ultimately look like remains a mystery due to trade rumors surrounding Simons and veteran forward Jerami Grant.
The Blazers' only concern right now is finding ways to get their young core as much experience as possible. Swinging a trade involving one of these players may make the most sense to open up minutes and accumulate future assets. While recently appearing on Sactown Sports 1140 in Sacramento, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian discussed Portland's options involving Simons and Grant, pointing out that one of the two will likely be moved.
“I would be surprised if Jerami (Grant) or Anfernee Simons, that one of the two is not moved,” Fentress said on Monday. “I was told that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp. Both being gone might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”
The main reason why the Blazers may be active on the trade market as sellers ahead of training camp is because Simons and Grant don't appear to be their future. Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and rookie Donovan Clingan are going to be the young talents Portland moves forward with, making Simons and Grant disposable.
Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant trade value
Both Simons and Grant could contribute to various playoff-contending teams right away, which is why they hold some value on the open market. However, at this point in the offseason, the Blazers may have a hard time finding legitimate trade partners due to salary restraints, and many organizations are already finalizing their rosters for the start of the 2024-25 season.
Between the two players, Grant is certainly the player many teams would have interest in due to his two-way play. Over the last two seasons in Portland, Grant has averaged 20.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range.
The problem with pursuing a trade for Grant is that he is under contract through the 2027-28 season and still has over $132 million left on his contract. Very few teams in the league would have the ability to not only put together a trade package with at least $30 million in salary to equate Grant's current deal, but many teams are struggling with remaining below the first and second tax aprons.
In Simons' case, he has just two more years left on his contract and is owed a total that is slightly above $50 million. At 25 years old, Simons has proven that he can be a lead guard both as a scorer from the perimeter and a facilitator. Over the last two seasons, the Blazers guard has averaged 21.7 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range.
The idea of building around Henderson and Sharpe is the main reason why Portland could look to move off of Simons while he holds a fair amount of value. Still, the idea of beginning the season with both players may be more appealing to the Blazers, especially considering that a team may be willing to pay more for either Simons or Grant ahead of the trade deadline.
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