The Portland Trail Blazers scuffled in the aggregate during the 2021-22 season, losing more than fifty games and spending the second half of the season with a clear vision toward ping-pong balls. Through that lens, it was a disappointing campaign for the franchise, but Portland ended up with the No. 7 pick (Shaedon Sharpe) and an intriguing offseason trade addition (Jerami Grant) to pair with the return of Damian Lillard. On top of that, there was a clear and notable breakout from a young player in Anfernee Simons, with the fourth-year guard producing impressive numbers and setting himself up for a substantial payday in restricted free agency.
Sure enough, when free agency opened the Blazers finalized an agreement with Simons on a hefty deal for four years and $100 million, as they clearly envision him as the secondary star alongside Lillard in the backcourt.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons has agreed on a four-year, $100 million contract extension, his agent Bill Duffy of @BDA_Sports + WME Sports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
After three seasons in which he started only five total games, Simons made 30 starts (57 games) in 2021-22, averaging career-best marks across the board. The 23-year-old guard averaged 17.3 points per game in less than 30 minutes of action, filling it up from the perimeter to the tune of 40.5 percent from three-point range on real volume. Simons has a 58.5 percent true shooting mark over the last two seasons combined and, with his age and upward trajectory, there is reason for excitement in Portland.
The future of the Lillard-Simons partnership will be interesting to monitor, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. Still, Simons was a player that the Blazers couldn’t afford to let go after what he showed last season, and he’ll be sticking around Portland, perhaps as a bridge to a new era for the franchise in the next couple of seasons.
