After years of keeping their core intact, the Portland Trail Blazers decided to shake things up this season. At the NBA trade deadline, they parted ways with a handful of their key players, most notably longtime running mate to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
These changes, along with Lillard being out for most of the year, created opportunities for some of the Portland Trail Blazers’ younger players to see extended minutes. One player who shined with an expanded role is Anfernee Simons.
Since being drafted in the first round back in 2018, Simons has shown a ton of promise. His game took a big step forward this year as he posted career-highs across the board. The 22-year-old appeared in 57 games for Portland this season and averaged 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
Following this impressive campaign, Simons is set to be a restricted free agent. Based on his ever-growing game and closing in on his prime, the up-and-coming guard will likely have a handful of teams looking to acquire him. Portland is in a position to match any offer sheet he gets, but will they be willing to spend big money on Simons?
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Recently, the people over at Bleacher Report listed “surprise” landing spots for players entering free agency this offseason. For Simons, they cited the Orlando Magic as a potential landing spot.
While the Magic have a fun batch of youth on their roster right now, targeting Anfernee Simons in NBA free agency doesn’t make much sense. They already have a handful of talented guards, and bringing him in would only create a log jam in the backcourt.
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Between Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs, Orlando already has multiple guards that need regular playing time. Throwing another young guard in the mix would only complicate things and possibly stall the development of Anthony and Suggs. If the two are going to continue improving, they will need more time with the ball in their hands.
The Orlando Magic should be a team looking to add to their young core, but a move like this could potentially do more harm than good in the long term.
