The Portland Trail Blazers are at the point in their build where they should be trying to become a better team.
So that makes the trade they completed late Monday night a head scratcher.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Blazers sent Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics with two second-round picks to acquire Jrue Holiday.
Simons is 26 years old and coming off a season in which he averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 36.3 percent from 3-point range.
Holiday is 35 years old and just averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 35.3 percent from long distance.
Yes, Holiday is a much superior defender.
But does giving up on Simons’ prime years for a guy that is clearly in decline make any sense at all?
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Maybe it’s the Blazers essentially telling Scoot Henderson that the offense is entirely his. Holiday is a better complimentary player than Simons.
But at the same time, Portland’s title window should last for a few years, if they ever get into a real chance at championship contention. Holiday doesn’t fit their timeline at all.
Boston had to run to the league office with this. There was zero reason for the Celtics not to do this trade.
For the Blazers, there was plenty of reason to say no, but instead, they pulled the trigger on a deal that could age very poorly.
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