Lakers Surprisingly Linked to $100 Million Scorer After Luka Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers are surprisingly linked to the Portland Trail Blazers‘ leading scorer Anfernee Simons.

According to Clutchpoint’s Brett Siegel, league sources have mentioned the Lakers as one of his possible landing spots should the Trail Blazers trade him in the offseason.

Simons will enter the final year of his four-year, $100 million contract next season.

“While it’s certainly a long shot, another team mentioned as a possible landing spot for Simons if the Blazers were to look to trade him is the Lakers, sources said. Take this with a grain of salt, as Los Angeles has more pressing matters to tend to on defense and in terms of frontcourt personnel.

“The idea of Simons playing off Doncic certainly makes sense. He is a solid three-point shooting weapon who can play on or off the ball, creating a strong scoring duo for the future with Luka. Head coach JJ Redick has also spoken very highly in the past of Simons’ potential and skill,” Siegel wrote.

Surprise Lakers Inclusion

Siegel also mentioned the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat as the other two potential destinations for Simons.

The Lakers’ inclusion in this list comes as a shock as they are already set in the backcourt with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Both Lakers stars are up for an extension this offseason.

The 6-foot-3 Simons is averaging 19.3 points on 43/36/90 shooting split with 4.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds this season. His scoring average is his lowest over the past three seasons.

If the rumors are true, Simons will be an expensive Sixth Man and a backup to Reaves. And employing three scoring guards who are limited defensively is not a recipe for playoff success.

On top of that, the Lakers will have to part ways with two significant rotation players to match salaries in a trade.

Austin Reaves Continues to Rise Even After Luka Trade

There were apprehensions about Reaves’ growth getting stunted by Dončić’s arrival at the trade deadline. At the time of the trade, Reaves was the Lakers’ primary ball handler in the backcourt after they shipped D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn for Dorian Finney-Smith.

The opposite is happening as Reaves continues his rise and is thriving alongside Dončić in the Lakers’ backcourt. In 19 games with the Slovenian star, Reaves is averaging 20.7 points, 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.

And over their last two games, Lakers coach JJ Redick has trusted Reaves with the ball down the stretch.

Reaves took the go-ahead layup before the Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls on Josh Giddey’s halfcourt buzzer-beater on March 27. Two nights later in Memphis, Reaves pumped in nine of his 31 points in the fourth quarter in their bounce-back win against the Grizzlies.

It was Reaves’ second straight 30-point game for the Lakers as their leading scorer.

“It means a lot to me [have the ball down the stretch] because me, [LeBron James] and Luka and JJ met this morning and those are two — I mean obviously ‘Bron is the one that I grew up watching and then when Luka came in the league, he was one of my favorite players to watch — and for them to trust me in big situations is it builds my confidence a lot,” Reaves told Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell after the game.

Reaves has already outplayed the four-year, $54 million extension he signed in the summer of 2023. He is in line for a huge extension in the offseason.

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