Why Magic-Blazers Anfernee Simons trade could happen after Jusuf Nurkic's suggestion

02/13/2025 02:15 PM

The Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic have made only a few trades with one another through the years, the last coming in 2016 when Shabazz Napier was traded from Orlando to Portland for cash. Could the Blazers and Magic come together to pull off a much larger trade during the offseason that would involve 25-year-old guard Anfernee Simons?

Ever since the Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, this organization has been rebuilding and charting a path for their future. While doing so, Simons has stepped up to take on the role of leading the team in scoring.

Although he is still under contract for one more season, the Blazers are going to be forced to make a decision on the former first-round pick, especially with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe emerging.

One of the big questions ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline surrounded the Trail Blazers and whether or not they would make a big change. It turned out that the Blazers held off on making any moves despite rumors involving Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Jerami Grant, and Simons. The Magic, despite being linked to Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson, also didn’t make any roster changes.

It may not be a coincidence that Portland and Orlando held off on making moves at the trade deadline.

What happens after the All-Star break will obviously dictate what these two franchises’ immediate futures look like. Whereas the Magic are fighting for a playoff spot in the East, the Blazers have quietly been inching closer to the Western Conference play-in region.

Looking ahead to the offseason, both organizations are going to be wanting to find ways to improve. The Magic need another scoring weapon next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, while the Blazers need to continue building their long-term potential.

That is why a Simons trade is worth discussing, and it’s something that new Charlotte Hornets center Jusuf Nurkic recently speculated about. Although Nurkic is no longer a member of the Blazers, he is still friends with Simons. After losing 102-86 to the Magic in his Hornets debut, Nurkic talked about Orlando’s future, hinting that they should target Simons without directly tampering.

“I think they are a really good young team and they are doing a really good job. They have a really good coaching staff, but I think they are missing one player,” Nurkic said, via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “I can’t name it, but that’s my little fella from Portland, but I love my Portland people … but I think they are waiting and missing one player to be a really good team.”

This has been a main topic of discussion for the Magic throughout the 2024-25 season, especially with injuries piling up. Simons’ dynamic scoring and playmaking abilities in the backcourt would be beneficial for a young, rising team like the Magic in the East, and he would fit their current timeline in terms of his age.

Perhaps the most important factor to consider ahead of the offseason is that the Blazers don’t have a clear sense of direction right now and will be forced to fill the rest of the league in on their plans for Simons.

Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers’ future

The Blazers made it very clear to teams inquiring about their talents ahead of the trade deadline that they wouldn’t be sellers just for the sake of making a deal. If the right trade came their way, general manager Joe Cronin and this front office would consider it, but players like Williams, Grant, and Simons weren’t available for a small price.

Will this be the case when the 2024-25 season concludes and the Blazers are forced to evaluate everything again in the offseason when they will likely hold another lottery selection?

Simons will be turning 26 right before the 2025 NBA Draft, and he has one more year left on his contract valued at $27.6 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2025-26 season. There is no better time than this upcoming summer for the Blazers to capitalize on Simons’ value in trade talks if they truly don’t envision him being their franchise player.

No player likes to lose in the NBA, and Simons is no different. He has made it clear that he wants to be a part of a winning organization, but Simons has also stated that he hopes this could happen in Portland. Even so, the young guard has yet to ask for a trade, and he doesn’t plan on doing so.

“There's only a few players who can go in there and make (demands). I don't think that's my job. My job is to go out and play. If it's something that serious, I would let my agent take care of it,” Simons told The Athletic in January. “Obviously, I want things to be better. But you can't control some of that stuff. I have to come in and be professional and be myself every day. This can be a tough situation if you let it be a tough situation.

“Obviously, not winning as much as you would like the last couple of years, it can get on you mentally.”

With the way money has changed in the NBA and due to the cap figures consistently increasing, it’s not hard to believe that Simons could hold value in the $30 million to $35 million annual average value range on his next contract. After all, he’s yet to reach the prime years of his career and doesn’t have any major injury concerns.

Simons will likely compare himself to the likes of Desmond Bane ($39 million AAV), Jalen Green ($35 million), Immanuel Quickley ($32.5 million), and Jordan Poole ($32 million) as benchmarks to try and maximize his value on a new contract.

Plenty of teams are projected to have cap space in 2026 when Simons is set to hit free agency, which is why Portland will have a major decision to make about possibly extending their guard in the offseason. There has always been a level of trade rumors surrounding Simons, and that noise will only grow by the time the summer comes around due to the Blazers’ uncertain future.

The missing piece next to Wagner, Banchero?

Anfernee Simons is from Florida and grew up in the Orlando area. He first attended high school in Orlando before transferring to Montverde Academy and ultimately ending up at IMG Academy.

Aside from having obvious ties to the city of Orlando, Simons fits in perfectly with what the Magic will be seeking in the offseason.

Whether they make the playoffs and potentially go on a run or not, the Magic will need more scoring help. Simons has been one of the more consistent backcourt scorers in the league over the last few seasons, and his three-point shooting is what makes him an intriguing target for Orlando, who rank at the bottom of the league in perimeter shooting.

A backcourt duo of Simons and Jalen Suggs would be the secondary production the Magic need next to Banchero and Wagner to become a true threat in the Eastern Conference.

The big questions here are whether the Magic would want to pay Simons as a long-term building block to their success and if they will have interest in this trade.

Well, the idea of Simons being linked to Orlando isn’t new. The chatter among league circles regarding Simons always seems to revert to talking about the Magic. That was true again before this season’s trade deadline. Even though the Blazers never had serious conversations about trading him this season, Simons came up in plenty of chatter, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

It truly doesn’t seem like there is a better fit for the Magic than a young scoring guard who is from Orlando and can take a lot of pressure off Banchero and Wagner to do everything on offense for this team.

More importantly, the Magic have what is needed to pull off this trade.

The early projections for the 2025-26 season have the first apron threshold increasing from $178.1 million to roughly $195.9 million. The second apron threshold is set to increase by approximately $19 million as well. Should these projections hold, the Magic will be a team that benefits from the increasing cap figures since they will have close to $200 million allocated to 15 players still under contract.

Of course, Gary Harris’ $7.5 million team option will be a key talking point to free up money, as will the team options of Cory Joseph and Caleb Houstan. To trade for Simons, the Magic will need to sacrifice value to Portland and do their best to try and match salaries.

As a result, a hypothetical package of Cole Anthony, Jett Howard, and Harris’ expiring salary with future first-round draft picks could possibly get a deal done. There is always the idea of including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in discussions as well since he will be making $21.6 million.

The point is that the Magic have a clear path to presenting the Blazers with a legitimate trade package for Simons if they want to pursue him in the offseason. Better yet, Orlando can do so while keeping their core group of Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, and Wendell Carter Jr. intact.

Regardless of how this season finishes for the Blazers and Magic, these are two organizations that will be active in trade conversations during the offseason. With Simons’ future in Portland hanging in the balance, now could be the perfect time for Orlando to land a hometown kid who can drastically improve their chances of finding postseason success.

The post Why Magic-Blazers Anfernee Simons trade could happen after Jusuf Nurkic’s suggestion appeared first on ClutchPoints.