NBA Trade Rumors: The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to trade Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons before the start of the new season.
It was only a matter of time before the Portland Trail Blazers had to make a move that would reinforce their decision to choose a building path to go down. With the expectation that the Blazers are going to emphasize their new build around Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, it was only natural for Portland to explore other moves that would make way for that.
Even though plenty of the heavy lifting of the NBA offseason has concluded, the Blazers are one team that could still make a bold move before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. In fact, according to a recent report from a plugged-in Blazers reporter, Portland has a goal for the remainder of the offseason that centers around trading Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons. In an ideal world, Portland would be able to move off one of those players before the start of the season.
Taking it a step further, there's probably a good chance that both players are gone by the time the NBA Trade Deadline arrives.
Which player is more likely to be traded by the Portland Trail Blazers?
This is an interesting report considering we haven't heard much about Simons on the trade block. Even though that's far from surprising, it does feel that if one is getting traded, it's going to be Grant. He's been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers recently and while a deal isn't considered to be close, with how aggressive the Lakers may have to be between now and the start of the season to get something done, you have to assume there's a good chance there's some sort of resolution on that front.
If not, perhaps it's Simons who ends up getting moved.
Even though he's not a household name across the league, Simons has proven to be a really good player. And with just two years remaining on his contract, the $52 million left on his deal won't be considered to be that big of a burden for a team to take on. Especially considering that any team that does take a gamble on Simons would probably be a rebuilding one.
As the dog days of the NBA offseason arrive, the Blazers are certainly one team to keep a close eye on. From all indications, it does seem as if they're determined to make a bold move that centers around one of their key contributors.