Blazers Stock Watch: 5 Players Portland should sell high on
By Reese Kunz
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the teams to monitor closely for the remainder of the offseason and leading up to the 2024 trade deadline. They are in the second year of their roster rebuild following the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade last summer. However, they still have multiple established players for whom they are expected to listen to trade offers. General manager Joe Cronin needs to gauge the stock and trade value surrounding these players to determine which ones should be moved soon to maximize their potential return.
1. Anfernee Simons
Anfernee Simons is already entering his seventh season despite being 25 years old. While he was limited to 46 teams last season, Simons is coming off his best season yet on a per-game basis, averaging 22.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game, all of which were career highs.
Simons has improved each season and is just entering his prime. He's not a sell-high candidate because his game doesn't have any more room to grow; rather, it's hard to see his trade value increase if the Blazers hold onto him. He was already named one of the top ten trade assets on the market this summer by Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley.
Part of what makes Simons an appealing trade asset is his reasonable contract. He's on the books until the end of the 2025-26 season ($25.9 million next season and $27.7 million the following year). If the Blazers hold onto Simons for too long, teams may be less inclined to trade for him if they are scared off by his next contract, which should be significantly higher.
Additionally, Simons seems open to a trade, as he wants the opportunity to win. If the Blazers' season goes as expected, they run the risk of Simons requesting a trade, which could potentially cause them to lose leverage in trade negotiations. It's in their best interest to move on from Simons before training camp or at the trade deadline by the latest to get the most value from him and give Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe the keys to the backcourt.