> **Dame gets a new running mate**
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>***Portland Trail Blazers get: Williamson***
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>***New Orleans Pelicans get: No. 3 pick, Patty Mills, Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith***
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>***Brooklyn Nets get: Anfernee Simons and Keon Johnson***
>
>The Blazers face a dilemma with the No. 3 pick: trade it for veteran help on star guard Lillard’s timetable, or pick somebody who can lead the franchise in the post-Dame era? Dealing for Williamson could allow them to split the difference. If healthy — key if — Williamson is the All-Star teammate Lillard hasn’t had since LaMarcus Aldridge left in free agency eight years ago.
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>Meanwhile, at 22, Zion wouldn’t be much older than 2022 lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe. The cost for the Blazers, besides the No. 3 pick, is starting guard Simons. Sharpe’s emergence late in the season makes the smaller Simons more expendable, though Portland would need to add ballhandling depth with the No. 23 pick or through free agency.
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>Simons doesn’t make much sense for the Pelicans, who already have their own former Lillard backcourt-mate in CJ McCollum, so this construction flips him to Brooklyn as a lead playmaker in exchange for 3-and-D wings Finney-Smith and O’Neale. With Herb Jones already in that role, New Orleans could try to trade one of them for draft picks in a separate deal.
>
>\– Kevin Pelton
This is the second of 5 mock trades so here is the rest of the [article](https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/37857976/zion-williamson-trades-want-see-including-teaming-damian-lillard-lamelo-ball)
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by shadow_spinner0
7 Comments
Meh
How do we get better in this scenario
Honest question, is Simons that much better 2 seasons (3 years of age) ago, than Cam Thomas is today? CT is 21 vs Ant 24, both are about 6’3″ and are negative defenders. Cam scored more 40 point games in a week that Ant has in his career, yes they were mostly losses but I’m looking for individual comparisons since I didn’t watch Ant much. In 2 years is it unreasonable to think Cam would be equal to or greater than Ant is currently?
Great trade, I’ll do it if the Nets would at least be able to get a Grant Williams level wing in another trade.
I love this trade — we get younger with a higher ceiling and keep our picks.
I’d rather give up Dinwiddie/DFS to get Simons. Royce is a super valuable contributor and major impact player, and Dinwiddie and Simons are somewhat redundant as scoring guards.
i fw it but ion think the blazers would accept due to the fragility of zion