NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Who’s rising up boards?

In an interview with Sactown Sports 1140, Portland Trail Blazers beat writers Aaron Fentress said that the team’s offseason moves aren’t done yet. Fentress reported that Portland is expected to move at least one of Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons before training camp.

“I would be surprised if Jerami (Grant) or Anfernee Simons, that one of the two is not moved. I was told that that’s definitely the goal, that one of the two would probably be gone before training camp,” Fentress said. “Both being gone might be different. They obviously have time. They can wait until the trade deadline and see if someone else will offer more.”

The Blazers are building their roster around Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe in the backcourt. Simons could be the odd man out of that backcourt trio. He’s the best player of that group, so he’ll likely start. If he doesn’t start, Simons could request a trade. That could see Portland get ahead of things, to open up more minutes for Henderson and Sharpe.

Grant is content in Portland for now, but he reportedly doesn’t want to be on a rebuilding team. He’s also drawn interest from a handful of teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers. That trade could take a bit longer to come together, due to the size and length of Grant’s contract.