Portland and its fans miss Anfernee Simons, who at one point was the longest-tenured Trail Blazer before being dealt to the Boston Celtics.
While it still stung, everyone had time to prepare, as Simons was a trade candidate given his expiring contract and recent top-ten draft investments in the future backcourt of Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.
Not to mention, Simons had made it clear towards the end of his tenure with the rebuilding Blazers that losing was taking a toll on him, and fans were finally happy to see him get the "opportunity to win" he finally wanted in Boston.
That didn't go according to plan, as the Celtics dealt Simons to the Chicago Bulls at the deadline, but fortunately the expiring contract that made him a trade candidate in the first place also gave him the freedom to choose his landing spot.
Anfernee Simons finally joins a contender in Philadelphia
Simons ultimately agreed to a team-friendly two-year, $12.3 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that includes a player option in the second season. While it's quite the pay cut for a 20-point scorer in the prime of his career, it also was the perfect basketball fit for Simons to contribute to that winning situation he's always wanted -- even if that meant coming off the bench to spell Philadelphia's up-and-coming backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Blazers fans who have watched Simons for the vast majority of his career know that his ideal role is a combo guard coming off the bench for a contender. As a starter, he's a relatively limited playmaker to be a point guard and too undersized defensively to play the two. Coming off the bench, that tweener status becomes more of a luxury for Simons to fill whatever void is required at that particular moment in the game.
He's now arguably one of the best bench players in the league, and it's that underrated depth that played a role in LeBron James' surprising decision to join the 76ers to close out his final chapter.
Especially with the national spotlight that comes with James, everyone around the league is about to see how underrated Simons is as an offensive weapon. As one of the best shooters of all time, he's the perfect floor-spacing option for all Philadelphia's stars that are at their best with the ball in their hands.
Simons will thrive in his bench role with the 76ers
But even with his role off the bench, Simons has proven during his Portland tenure that he's more than capable of initiating the offense for stretches. Many point to the 76ers starting lineup with James now in the picture, but don't overlook their underrated depth with Simons, Dean Wade, and others in the equation as well.
Simons may have gotten his numbers as the go-to guy in Portland, but he finally has that golden opportunity to win in Philadelphia. And outside of Blazers fans who know his true character, the rest of the NBA world is going to be surprised by the extent to which he's willing to sacrifice his role or numbers for the betterment of the team.
This has always been a team-first player who wants to win by any means necessary, and the fact that he willingly took a bench role by signing with the 76ers tells you all you need to know.
With James surprisingly bringing even more of a spotlight to that roster, Simons' unselfishness should soon become a national thing that only Blazers fans previously were well aware of -- one of many reasons why he used to be a fan favorite in Rip City.
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