Bill Simmons of Grantland.com -- also known as "The Sports Guy" -- has posted the first half of his annual trade value column. Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum finishes just outside the top-50. ----------------------------- Nicolas Batum: The geek-friendly teams (San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, etc.) have circled him for years, fully expecting him to become Battier 2.0 on the right contender. He's getting an offer sheet next July that will make you say, "Wait … WHAT?????" Be prepared. ----------------------------- Here's part two of the column, which discusses Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who ranks No. 14 in the league in terms of trade value. ----------------------------- Here's what you're getting: 21 points and eight rebounds a night, decent defense, and someone who needs to be double-teamed (when he's feeling it) at an extremely fair price. You argue he's the most properly paid player in the league: $12.87 million this year; then $14 million, $15.1 million and $16.26 million. And on that note, I'm mailing in the rest of this paragraph just like the Blazers mailed in the 2011-12 season. ----------------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter