The Portland Trail Blazers are continuing their search for trade partners around Anfernee Simons and their Top 3 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, per league insider Marc Stein.
According to Stein, “win-now” players are the focal targets by Portland in return for Simons and the coveted pick they hold.
“The Trail Blazers, league sources say, continue to intimate that they are prepared to package Anfernee Simons with the No. 3 overall pick in a trade to acquire win-now talent to place alongside star guard Damian Lillard.”
It is obvious that the Blazers are urgently doing their best in order to surround Damian Lillard with the strongest possible help he can have as they still look to contend and finally become a championship team. But as Stein added, rival teams remain hopeful that the All-Star guard would eventually request a trade once he sees that Portland fails to land strong enforcement.
“Teams interested in trading for Lillard, meanwhile, continue to root for Portland’s inability to find a suitable win-now trade in the hope that it finally prompts Lillard to seek his exit from the Pacific Northwest.”
Simons averaged 21.1 points and 4.1 assists as a microwave guard for the Blazers alongside Lillard last year, while their top pick may either land promising prospects Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson.
As it is, the Blazers have these strong assets to entice other teams who might head toward rebuilding.
