Team #3: Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are at a crossroads in their rebuild and have a logjam in their backcourt between Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe along with some veteran players that could make an impact on a winning team.
Orlando, on the other hand, is looking to improve their backcourt this summer, which would make it feasible for these two organizations to be in contact, and each team possesses some assets the other would love to acquire. The top target for most of the Orlando fan base seems to be a realistic option for the Magic to inquire about and bring back to Orlando.
Realistic trade targets on Portland's roster, and why they fit with the Magic?
1. Anfernee Simons Contract: 4 years, $100 million
Simons is the number one option on the market for a lot of Orlando fans and has been since the trade deadline. With Simons being from Altamonte Springs, it started as a return home story, but considering how good the Magic already are, Simons also has a skill set that could catapult Orlando into the top tier of Eastern Conference NBA teams.
He is a dangerous scorer but does not need to be ball-dominant, making him a great candidate to play off of Paolo Banchero. Anfernee Simons averaged 22.6 points and 5.5 assists per game —he shot a jaw-dropping 8.8 three-point attempts per game and cashed in at a 38.5% clip. He is the type of player you can "give the ball to and get out of the way" if needed but does not need the ball in his hands to be effective, and no team can have enough of those guys in today's NBA.
Hypothetical Trade
Magic receive: Anfernee Simons
Trail Blazers receive: Wendell Carter, Denver top-5 protected first-round pick, 2026 first- round pick, 2027 second-round pick