Anfernee Simons Staying Out of Damian Lillard Drama, Embracing Portland Community
Speaking at his summer camp in Beaverton, Simons said he's doing his best to not involve himself in a chaotic Trail Blazers offseason.
BEAVERTON, Ore. — For a $100 million player, Anfernee Simons has been somewhat lost in the shuffle of a chaotic Trail Blazers offseason. With the lion's share of the attention on either Damian Lillard's trade request or the arrival of No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, it can be easy to forget about Simons, going into his sixth season.
Simons has had a busy summer while all of that has been going on. He traveled to Croatia late last month for Jusuf Nurkic's wedding, as part of his first-ever vacation out of the country that also took him to London, Milan, Munich and Santorini. Now, for the first time, he's hosting his annual kids' camp in the Portland area.
"I've been trying to do a camp here for a couple of years now, and the timing just didn't work out," he said Saturday morning after leading a group of elementary school-aged kids through basketball drills at the Beaverton Family YMCA. "It worked out perfectly [this year]. It was a great turnout. Hopefully we can keep doing it every year."
Simons went to a lot of these camps as a kid and always relished the chance to be around NBA players, although he says the only one he was ever star-struck by is Tracy McGrady.
Just about the only thing that's decided about next season is that Simons will have a prominent role. He will likely start at shooting guard again, but whether that's alongside Henderson (whom Simons says is "as good as advertised") or Lillard remains to be seen. Thus far, as has been the case since Lillard officially requested a trade out of Portland on July 1, there hasn't been any movement to speak of when it comes to trade talks with his preferred destination of Miami or with any other team.
Simons is trying to stay out of it and control what he can control.
"I never get myself involved in anything other than it involving me directly," he said. "Whatever is being said in the media is what I'm learning, too. A lot of people ask me that question all the time, about what's going on with Dame. If they say he asked for a trade, then he asked for a trade. Obviously, me and Dame have a close relationship. I'm always going to support him no matter what he decides to do."
Simons has long wanted to strengthen his presence in Portland, especially now that he's signed on a long-term deal. The trade rumors leading into the draft have subsided, at least as they pertain to Simons.
"Anything can happen in this business," Simons said. "I've always carried myself like, if something does happen, then that's what happens. That's always the right way to carry yourself, instead of getting in your feelings about, 'Oh, this might happen, so I won't do this.'"
It will be bittersweet for Simons when and if Lillard is ever traded. He'll finally get an opportunity to be the focal point of an offense, but he'll be losing his closest mentor from his first day in the NBA.
"I was hoping one day I would ask for a signed jersey when he retired from Portland," he said. "But if he ends up somewhere else, I'll have to get it sooner. We'll see what happens. He's taught me so much about the game and how to be a professional. How to work out. How to carry yourself. How to handle success. He's taught me a lot of things, especially early in my career. I'm going to carry that to the other young players. Paying it forward. That's what it's all about."