Hello Fanspo people! I have returned after 5 years or so with a beautiful beautiful trade. Also, I just realized I've been having the most popular trade on Fanspo for the past 5 years! So I'm thankful to be back! Anyways...
The Portland Trail Blazers had a somewhat... interesting season. They did not lose enough to get a high pick and did not win enough to make the playoffs. However, they have some things to be proud of.
Trading for Deni was an absolute win. He averaged 17/7/4 on 47/37/78 shooting splits. His last ten games, he averaged 28/11/6 on 50/36/76 shooting splits. He is only 24 years old, but he is already showing such maturity in his game.
Toumari has been a revelation. His defense could potentially win him a DPOY in the near future. He is a true game changer.
Donovan Clinigan's defensive IQ and rebounding strengthen the team in more ways than one.
Then you have the young guards in Shaedon and Sharpe, who are figuring things out... the only thing that stands in their way is the vets.
Anfernee Simons. I must say, I've been a Blazers fan for a long time, and while Simons has never really been a favorite player of mine, I enjoyed watching him play. When he is feeling it... man is he feeling it. His touch is very Dame-like, and his shot creation is beautiful. However... he does NOT fit on this Blazers team. The team performs worse when he's on the court. His on/off and +/- numbers are putrid. In an admittedly small sample size, the team was 9-4 when he played 5 mins or less. He's perennially one of the worst defenders in the league. His individual numbers come at the expense of the team in that the offense performs better without him.(Shout-out to BlazerTag on Blazersedge for the quote).
He needs to be traded sooner rather than later. And this is a beautiful trade proposal.
The Blazers receive Jonathan Isaac + Cole Anthony + 16 + Pick Swap in exchange for Anfernee and a Second. Yes the Blazers get a PG, but Cole is a backup and won't disrupt any growth for Scoot.
The Blazers would now have a lineup of: Scoot - Sharpe - Toumari - Deni - Ayton
And the Bench would have Cole - Thybulle - Issac - Grant - Rob Williams - Clingan.
The Blazers could also run a defensive lineup of: Deni - Thybulle - Toumari - Issac - Clingan/Williams (INSANE!!!) *
Also... The Blazers could now package the 11th + 16th + Grant for ANYONE WITH A SMALL CONTRACT.
For the Magic, it's a easy deal. They need win-now players, and they were not going to draft anyone at 16 that could do what they need. Scoring. While I stated the flaws of Simons, he most likely just needs a change of scenery. He needs a team that can look to him to score and... pretty much nothing else. He fits the timeline of Banchero and Franz, and would be a perfect complement to them.
The Magic are Reportedly Open to Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony Trades for 'Upgrade'. It may seem like a lot to some Magic fans, but this is the price to acquire the talent they desire.