The Portland Trail Blazers are currently in a tanking season and could potentially bolster their efforts by trading away veteran players like Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons. The article explores potential trade scenarios involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets and highlights the players involved.
At 9-20, the Portland Trail Blazers ' 2024-25 tank is well underway. Still, the team could always do more to avoid winning this season, especially with the 7-21 Utah Jazz and the 5-25 New Orleans Pelicans (losers of seven straight) both also in the Western Conference, and clubs like the 7-22 Charlotte Hornets, 7-23 Toronto Raptors and 4-23 Washington Wizards stinking it up in the East.
Several Portland veterans might be better served helping contenders elsewhere, and while many have been floated in trade chatter already, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has yet to make a move.A fresh three-team trade proposal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets, cooked up by our own Matt Levine, sees Portland ditching two of its pricier players who don't really match the timeline of the club's intended young core. D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Grant Williams, Vasilije Micic, a 2026 first-round pick from the Hornets, and two second-round draft picks from the Lakers. Ayton, 26, is the team's highest-paid player. The 7-foot Arizona product is earning $34 million this year, and is under contract through 2025-26. In 20 games thus far, the Trail Blazers' starting center is averaging a career-low 14.4 points on 56.3 percent shooting from the floor and 60.9 percent shooting from the foul line, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, plus 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks a night. He has hardly looked like the No. 1 draft in 2018, who was selected ahead of future studs like Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Trae Young. Simons, 25, was a nice late first round draft find by the Trail Blazers (selected at No. 24 in Ayton's draft), but just because he's a homegrown talent doesn't mean Portland should let sentiment get in the way of a good trade. Portland's current starting point guard is making $25.9 million this season, and like Ayton will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. In 26 bouts, the 6-foot-3 vet is averaging 17.4 points on .412/.323
NBA Trail Blazers Tanking Trade Deandre Ayton Anfernee Simons
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