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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Portland Trail Blazers fans and fans across the country.
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Roster moves are expected for the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason after an unsuccessful 2022-23 campaign.
The Trail Blazers’ offense could hang in there with most team on any given night, but their defense told another story. Moving forward for Portland, it’s now all about retaining All-Star Damian Lillard and building a true contender around him before his loyalty turns.
Therefore we ask you, Blazers faithful and NBA supporters alike to weigh in on which shooting guard the team should flip for a defensive stalwart at any position?
Anfernee Simons has nuclear scoring capabilities. Early in the season, the third quarter had his name written all over it. But, Simons also contributed to Portland’s chronic turnover problem. His 2.1 giveaways per contest ranked third on the team.
While the secondary distributor next to Lillard, he also struggled at times defending the perimeter — something he’s not the only scapegoat for.
On the other hand, Sharpe overcame many natural rookie mistakes through the first half of the year before hitting his stride in the second half. He started his final 10 games and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 37.8 percent from distance on 8.2 attempts a night.
Sharpe has shown tremendous upside with outside shooting capabilities and breathtaking athleticism.
It will be up to Blazers management to assess who has more trade value in the open market and, whether or not they even want to deal either player. What’s known is, Portland’s two-guard lineups have not worked for the majority of Lillard’s career and more defense and size is required to make waves out West and beyond.
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