4 Anfernee Simons trades the Portland Trail Blazers should consider

The Portland Trail Blazers are faced with a challenging offseason ahead, and one of the most difficult decisions general manager Joe Cronin will have to make will be whether or not to move one of their best players, Anfernee Simons. After last year's rollercoaster offseason, highlighted by the Damian Lillard blockbuster trade and subsequent Jrue Holiday deal, the Blazers find themselves at a crossroads again.

It's a similar situation to last offseason, only to a lesser extent. Yet again, their backcourt is too crowded between Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe. With Henderson and Sharpe seemingly being the backcourt duo of the future, Simons' role and long-term status as a member of the Blazers are in flux.

The following trades are with teams identified as ones that could greatly benefit from Simons' combo guard abilities, particularly on offense. In all four trades, the Blazers continue their post-Lillard teardown in the form of draft capital, young assets, or a combination of the two.

1. Orlando Magic finally get their guard of the future

The Orlando Magic are seemingly the most popular landing spot for Anfernee Simons. The Magic and Blazers make much sense as potential trade partners in a Simons deal. Following Orlando's first-round playoff exit, Paolo Banchero told The Washington Post's Ben Golliver what the team needed to address this offseason.

"Shooting is a big part of what we need to improve on, whether we go and get somebody or try to develop guys. I don’t know which way they’re going to approach that. And having a guy who can set the table and be reliable. We have a lot of talented guys who can make shots and make plays: Me, Franz [Wagner] and Jalen Suggs. I would rather be more of an offensive hub than the point guard."

- Paolo Banchero

Simons is more of a combo guard than a traditional pass-first point guard. But, besides that, his game is highly similar to what Banchero mentioned the team is looking to add this offseason. Simons and Banchero could split the role of offensive initiator, and the two would play well off each other; Simons could provide much-needed floor spacing as a career 38.5 percent three-point shooter.

Meanwhile, Portland potentially gets three first-round picks in return. Although, if all three of them conveyed, they'd likely be mid-to-late first-round picks. For this draft in particular, it would give the Blazers another opportunity to address another positional need at pick No. 18. For instance, if they draft two wings (or a wing and a guard) with their first two lottery picks, it would make sense for them to target a big like Zach Edey, Kel'el Ware, or Yves Missi with their additional first-round pick in this scenario.