Ant's got defensive holes in his game, but he can create shots and he can hit 3-pointers. On a team that finished last from 3, I think that any trade would have to bring back someone with that skillset.
They found that guy already for free though only he's 6'9 and rebounds...Delano Banton...and they probably want the rookies to practice 3s all season next year anyway so I expect they'll accept losing with or without Ant. Banton has a lot more Alpha dawg in him than Ant ever will have.
Banton was a nice pickup but he is not that guy. He might not even be back with the Blazers. He's had his Linsanity moment. (And I say this as someone who's never been an Ant fan.)
Did this season REDUCE Ant's value? It just seems to me that he played a lot better as a temporary Dame fill-in than he did as a permanent Dame replacement.
Banton isn't as good as Ant, but he doesn't have to be. His salary is a fraction of Ant's and neither will be long-term starters on THIS team. Even if Banton gives you 50% of what Ant does, that's good enough to move off of Ant and his remaining 2 years for some value.
IMO one is a tall PG and the other is a short SG. So I don't see why we are comparing the two. I do think they played well together in a very small sample size. Banton complemented Ant well in the very small sample size we saw. But not as good as Brogdon did.
How many minutes are there for Banton? PG - Scoot, Banton SG - Sharpe, Ant Not a lot. Not sure he earned it either. I'm more concerned with Ant signaling that he wants other opportunities and only having two years left on his contract. He should be traded before his value diminishes and he walks.
Not unless that short SG wants to come off the bench. And even then... No thanks. There is no reason to settle right now. Get out from under his shortcomings on defense and move on.
Signaling that he wants other opportunities? Are you talking about his exit interview? I am listening to it right now...again. What are you guys hearing that I am not? Sounds like those who want Ant gone are manufacturing excuses to support your view. All he did was answer the questions. He was very supportive of Chauncey and said about He, Scoot, and SS that "No matter what the lineup is I am going to come in each and every time with the attitude that we are going to figure it out" Did him saying that he wanted to make the playoff really make it sound like he wanted out?
In short, yes. And I don't blame him. Scoot and Shaedon is the future here. Ant will be unrestricted in two years. He's not going to want to come back and we shouldn't spend that much into our backcourt. There isn't much upside for keeping him.
just listened to 1080 Blame the Fans podcast. "Simons would be a terrific #2 guy on a very good team." ... are any NBA GM's listening? Let's crank Ant's trade value up to 11
He wants to win. That's not the direction right now. I see little upside with keeping Ant and you're just keeping a barrier that Scoot and Shae will need to reach their potential sooner. Trade Monta Ellis... I mean Anfernee Simons.
I like Ant but he’s not good enough to be a #2 player on a good team. I have no doubt he and his agent believe that to be true, and surely the stats may make it seem like that’s the case.
Does anyone think good teams wouldn't want to see all the data before coughing up future picks on Simons? Cronin & Billups encourage Anfernee to milk injuries for the greater good of the Blazers ping pong ball. It makes it look like Simons is injury prone, and messes up any true player analysis.
Yeah the Franz Wagner proposals are delusional. Maybe we could get a late FRP but I just don't see Ant having significant value. I'd be shocked if the Blazers trade him, we saw very little of Ant with Sharpe and I think Blazers management wants to evaluate that duo along with Scoot for extended games before moving in a different direction.
Without question - wasn't a good year for Ant. Perhaps you could argue he produced similar to other seasons, but it wasn't a bit upswing in production many hope for as a player in this stage of their career getting a more featured role with his team. Blazers problem is Sharpe and Scoot may have had worse years and nobody else on the roster is a possible foundation piece.
