4 Stars the Blazers could trade Anfernee Simons for this summer

4. Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen, a 2023 NBA All-Star, is another player that every team around the league would love to have. As a result, the Jazz have a high asking price for teams interested in acquiring the Finnish forward. The numbers speak for themselves, as Markkanen averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and two assists on 48/40/90 shooting splits this season, almost finishing as a member of the 50/40/90 club.

He’d be an ideal fit for Portland, providing them with positional length and elite shooting, both of which they currently lack. Markkanen would be a massive boost for the development of Scoot Henderson, in particular. Henderson struggled to finish at the rim in his rookie season and could benefit from better floor spacing to make the paint less congested.

Markkanen would likely require a stockpile of picks and Anfernee Simons for the Utah Jazz to agree to a trade, but it may be worth it. Seven-footers who can score that efficiently are few and far between in the NBA. Suppose the Blazers do give up a lot of picks. In that case, they can always get back draft capital in other trades involving players that could be on the move this offseason, including Malcolm Brogdon, Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle, and Robert Williams III.