Blazers’ Anfernee Simons Admits Difficult “Mental Battle,” But Won’t Request Trade
Years of losing seem to be taking their toll on Trail Blazers shooting guard Anfernee Simons, who tells Jason Quick of The Athletic that he’s going through “the hardest mental battle I’ve had in my career.”
Quick notes that the 11-22 Blazers are in the midst of their fourth straight season where they’re placing more emphasis on maximizing their lottery odds than trying to compete. This is Simons’ seventh year in the NBA, so unlike most of Portland’s roster he remembers when making the playoffs was taken for granted.
“It’s been hard as hell,’’ he said. “I be having my bad days. I’m like anybody else. I call them my ‘human days,’ when I let things get to me a little bit. Obviously, it has had an effect on my game. That’s what I’m trying to get out of.’’
The grind of being overmatched most nights appears to be catching up with Simons, who’s suffering through his worst season since he became a starter four years ago. He’s shooting 41.5% from the field and 33.5% from three-point range — down significantly from last year and the second-worst percentages of his career in both categories.
Quick notes that Simons has often seemed to be “distracted and disconnected” on the court as though he has become numb to the constant losing. Coach Chauncey Billups stated that he began noticing the change last season.
“We’ve talked about it, and my talks with Ant will be with Ant, but yes, I see it,’’ Billups said. “It was last year, too. We had some good, long talks over the summer, things that were bothering him, and things I could help him with. So, it hasn’t been a just-now thing. It’s been over time.’’
Simons added that despite any frustrations he has with the organization, he doesn’t plan to ask for a trade. He mentioned two “very light” conversations with general manager Joe Cronin this season in which Cronin sought his input about the team’s progress. Despite his longevity in Portland and his potential trade value, Simons doesn’t believe he’s earned the right to ask for a deal.
“I can say how I feel, but I don’t think I’m in that position,’’ he said. “There’s only a few players who can go in there and make (demands). I don’t think that’s my job. My job is to go out and play. If it’s something that serious, I would let my agent take care of it. But you think about what you want out of your career, and stuff like that, and I figure it’s going to happen when it’s supposed to. I’m not going to make any irrational decisions on stuff like that.’’
Quick points out that Simons’ situation is one of the negative side effects of repeatedly trying to rebuild through the draft. The team has a .316 winning percentage since Cronin took over as GM, and it doesn’t appear to be heading in a positive direction despite adding Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson and Donovan Clingan with top-seven picks over the last three years.
Quick adds that the Blazers have already lost 10 times this season by 20 or more points, including embarrassing home defeats by 45 points against Memphis and 42 points against Utah.
Simons is under contract for one more season at $27.7MM and will become a free agent in the summer of 2026 if he and the team don’t work out an extension. He would have plenty of leverage if he decides to force his way out of Portland, but his preference is to remain with the team and build it into a winner again.
“It’s hard to explain it; some things just don’t feel right,’’ Simons said. “It could be a bit of everything. I’m not going to point out one thing. Ultimately, I gotta do what I gotta do, and get out of my funk and figure out ways to overcome it. Ultimately, this is a test of faith, and a test of mental toughness and what I’m going to do to get myself out of this feeling.’’
Warriors Notes: Curry, Kuminga, Looney, Anderson, Schröder
Stephen Curry has enjoyed many legendary shooting performances during his long NBA career, but even he was astonished by what he was able to accomplish Thursday night, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Curry sank all eight of his three-point attempts while posting 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to lead the Warriors in a blowout of Philadelphia. It’s the most three-pointers he’s ever had in a game without a miss and it’s one short of the NBA record, according to Youngmisuk.
“He deserves these nights,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Everything he does for us and endures. It’s so fun to see him do this. And our fans and our coaches, we’re all spoiled watching him play night after night. But we need to cherish these nights. He’s not going to be around forever, and he is one of the most beautiful basketball players who’s ever lived and we’re lucky to be watching him.”
Curry’s historic night came despite a sprained right thumb that originally had him listed as questionable to play. He was able to practice on Wednesday, but he did almost everything left-handed to protect the thumb from further injury. It was also the first game since he referred to the team’s play as “mid” after Monday’s loss to Cleveland.
“I know what I said last game and I meant it,” Curry said. “Because you are what your record says you are, and we have been playing below average basketball for a long time. Obviously I take accountability for a lot of that and at the end of the day you just want to play free and have fun. I celebrated my first three and just to try to infuse some joy into the game, so we have to try to maintain that even if shots don’t fall for a certain stretch of a game, just stay locked in.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Jonathan Kuminga continued his improved play with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while shooting 8-of-11 from the field, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Kuminga is still being used in a reserve role, but he’s seeing consistent minutes as Kerr has trimmed the rotation to nine players. “You can just tell he’s getting comfortable,” Draymond Green said. “He knows now ‘Oh, I’m going to get the ball. I’m going to have my opportunities to score, so now I just don’t to have to show you that I can score’ … With that, it’s building a sense of purpose for him. … It’s just raised his comfort level.”
- Kerr credits veteran center Kevon Looney and offseason addition Kyle Anderson for being willing to accept reduced roles to make the new rotation successful. (Twitter link from Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “We’re so lucky to have those guys on the team. They’re the most professional guys you could ask for as a coach,” Kerr said. “They’re the odd men out right now. The only way it works in the NBA is if the guys who are not playing are supportive of the other guys and aware of what’s happening and accepting of it without being happy about it.”
- Dennis Schröder shot just 7-of-34 from three-point range during his first seven games after being acquired from Brooklyn, but he snapped out of his slump Thursday by going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and scoring 15 points. After the game, he talked to reporters about the adjustments he’s had to make to fit into Kerr’s offense (Twitter link from Slater).
Nets Notes: Johnson, Marks, Russell, Evbuomwan
X-rays were negative for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, who turned his ankle late in Thursday’s win at Milwaukee, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The injury occurred when Johnson and Ziaire Williams both chased a rebound after a missed three-point attempt. Johnson appeared to land on Williams’ foot, causing the ball to go out of bounds.
Johnson hopped off the floor and had imaging done in the locker room after the game. Although he avoided a major injury, Lewis reports that Johnson was on crutches in the locker room and looks like he may be sidelined for a while.
“All I know is it was super loud, trying to get the ball, and Cam was behind me,” Williams said. “Yeah, I don’t know (what happened). I have to look back. But yeah, man, I kind of ruined the night. I hope it’s nothing serious. I feel really bad right now, I can’t lie to you, man. Yeah, it sucks when you get hurt in a fashion like that.”
Johnson led the team with 26 points while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range. He’s in the midst of the best season of his career, and he’s Brooklyn’s top remaining trade asset after dealing away Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith.
“Yeah, unfortunate. Unfortunate,” D’Angelo Russell said. “He’s a strong guy, though. I know he’ll be back soon, and he’ll be back stronger. I’m not worried about him. He’ll be all right.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- In an interview with Lewis, general manager Sean Marks says flexibility is the priority as he works to rebuild the team’s roster. The Nets have $70MM in projected cap space for this summer, along with more future draft picks than any other team. Marks eventually hopes to use those assets to bring star players to Brooklyn. “You have to be poised and position yourself to be able to have that opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to give ourselves the best chance to do that. Now, on whom and when, that’s TBD. But when we took over [in 2016], it was three or four seasons before we were able to say, ‘Hey, we’ve all of a sudden got a team that’s now able to contend. It’s a playoff team.’ And next year, you’re attracting a different caliber player … or players. So we know we’ve done it. We did it before. Now to be able to do it in this new CBA and hopefully reach that ultimate goal, we fell short. We didn’t come close. So the goal now is to be able to do it again, build it up and try and have another hit at it.”
- Despite rumors of acrimony when Russell was traded away in 2019, Marks was happy to reacquire him in the Finney-Smith deal, Lewis tweets. “D-Lo the player, we’re accustomed to him, we’re used to him, we’ve been around him,” Marks said. “He’s been in our family before. There’s a level of continuity just from familiarity with the person. So bringing him back into this group, it’ll be exciting.”
- The new two-way contract for Tosan Evbuomwan will cover two seasons, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Western Notes: Nurkic, Fox, Davis, Blazers, Harden
Despite a report to the contrary, the Suns aren’t actively shopping Jusuf Nurkic, a source tells Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link).
While the distinction may matter to Nurkic himself, the question of whether or not the veteran center is being “actively shopped” likely comes down to semantics, since it’s clear Phoenix would move him if the right opportunity arises.
However, it won’t be easy to find that right opportunity. Nurkic, who has one more guaranteed year left on his contract after this season, will have limited value on the trade market and may be easier to trade in the offseason, Bourguet notes. The Suns also can’t aggregate salaries in a trade since they’re operating over the second tax apron, meaning Nurkic can’t be dealt for a player earning more than he is ($18.13MM).
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Weighing in on the De’Aaron Fox situation in Sacramento, Marc Stein (Substack link) covers many of the same bases that Sam Amick of The Athletic did earlier today, writing that teams are keeping a close eye on the situation even though the Kings aren’t yet willing to entertain the idea of trading their star point guard. Discussing the possibility of the Rockets pursuing Fox, Stein cautions not to assume Houston will be in the mix, even though the 27-year-old fits the team’s timeline better than previously rumored targets like Jimmy Butler or Kevin Durant. Rockets officials like how the current roster looks and may not zero in on Fox as the player they want to sacrifice several valuable assets to acquire, Stein writes.
- The Lakers held Anthony Davis out of action on Thursday vs. Portland due to a left ankle sprain. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter), head coach JJ Redick said before the game that the Lakers want to “be smart” about Davis’ lingering ankle soreness and pointed out that the team faces a challenging January schedule, with 17 games in the next 30 days.
- In a preview of what 2025 holds for the Trail Blazers, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link) reiterates a point he has made before, writing that it’s “hard to picture” a scenario in which Chauncey Billups is still coaching the Blazers by the time the 2025/26 season tips off. Highkin also explores where things stand with Portland’s top trade candidates and the Blazers’ ownership situation, among other topics.
- Clippers star James Harden was downgraded to questionable and then ruled out for the team’s Thursday game vs. Oklahoma City due to groin soreness. As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, Harden also missed one game last month due to a groin issue — if the ailment isn’t any more serious this time around, it shouldn’t cause him to miss much – if any – additional time.
Jimmy Butler Tells Heat He Wants Trade
10:22pm: Butler has indicated to the Heat that he wants to be traded, according to Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Although Charania previously identified the Suns, Warriors, Mavericks, and Rockets as favored landing spots for Butler, he and Windhorst now say the forward doesn’t intend to give the Heat a list of preferred destinations and that he’s open to going anywhere.
Butler, who plans to take part in team activities and do what the Heat ask of him during the process, believes he can make any team a contender, regardless of where he’s sent, sources tell ESPN.
According to Charania and Windhorst, Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison have met with Butler’s representation in recent days in the hopes of bridging the divide between the two sides, but those efforts weren’t successful.
Confirming previous reports, ESPN’s duo says there has been tension between Butler and the Heat since the team indicated near the start of the offseason that it wouldn’t be offering him an extension and since Riley scolded Butler for his claim that the Celtics and Knicks would “be at home” if he had been able to play in the postseason. Riley and Butler’s relationship has yet to recover, sources tell ESPN.
9:54pm: For a second straight night after returning from a five-game absence, Heat star Jimmy Butler appeared passive and disengaged during his time on the court on Thursday, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Butler has totaled just 18 points on 11 shot attempts across Miami’s past two games, spending much of his time in the corner without the ball in his hands. While his quiet night didn’t prevent the Heat from picking up a win over New Orleans on Wednesday, the club was beaten soundly by Indiana on Thursday and Butler was a team-worst minus-27 in his 27 minutes of action.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s loss, head coach Erik Spoelstra referred to Butler’s performances as “aberrational,” suggesting that he was more concerned about his club’s poor defensive play, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Spoelstra added that the team needed to get the ball into Butler’s hands more to get him going, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Butler’s demeanor is being monitored closely since a Christmas Day report indicated he preferred a trade out of Miami and Heat president Pat Riley announced a day later that the club wouldn’t be moving the 35-year-old. When he rejoined the team on Tuesday, Butler told reporters that he was “happy” and intended to make the most out of his current situation. However, he didn’t exactly strike the same tone in his post-game media session on Thursday.
“I feel like I did my job, or what at least my job is now,” Butler said when asked about his performance (Twitter video link via Wes Goldberg of Locked on Heat). When a reporter mentioned Spoelstra’s comments about getting the ball in his hands more, Butler shook his head and replied, “That ain’t gonna fix it.”
“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball,” Butler said when asked what he wants to see happen next. “Wherever that may be. We’ll find out here pretty soon. But I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here off the court, but… I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now I’m not doing that.”
Asked by a reporter if he can get his on-court joy back in Miami, Butler responded, “Probably not.”
The Heat, who were said to be underwhelmed by their options for Butler on the trade market, had hoped to put the issue to bed when Riley said in a statement last Thursday that the six-time All-Star wouldn’t be going anywhere. The goal at that point was to focus on the current season and wait until the summer to figure out Butler’s future. He holds a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26 that he reportedly plans to decline.
However, given how the last two games – and Butler’s latest media session – have gone, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to imagine him being content with playing out the season in Miami. With five weeks still to go until the February 6 trade deadline, the Heat front office figures to be weighing its next move.
Jazz Notes: Sensabaugh, Markkanen, George, Williams, Harkless
After appearing in just 32 games during his rookie year with the Jazz, Brice Sensabaugh has already nearly matched that total in his second season, earning minutes off the bench in 26 of Utah’s 32 contests so far. Sensabaugh still isn’t playing a major role, but he has been more effective during his time on the court, making 45.0% of his shots from the field and 38.0% of his three-pointers after posting a .390 FG% and .296 3PT% last season.
Speaking to Grant Afseth of RG.org, Sensabaugh admitted that the learning curve has been steep as he continues to adjust to the NBA after thriving in his lone college season at Ohio State.
“The games come fast, and it’s all the best players in the world, so you really have to lock into the details,” Sensabaugh said. “Taking time to watch film with the coaches and preparing ahead of games is important. You play teams multiple times, so you adjust. Doing your work early on defense and being in the right spot helps you avoid playing from behind.”
Sensabaugh added that remaining in Salt Lake City during the 2024 offseason and working closely with the team’s coaching staff has helped him understand what he needs to do to earn minutes and what the Jazz want to see from him going forward.
“They’ve been transparent with what they want from us. We have a bunch of meetings and conversations outside of practice to clarify things,” Sensabaugh said. “Being around the whole summer and getting our real work in Utah has helped a lot, especially for the young guys. We know what the coaches want, and if we keep building together, I think we can be special for sure.”
Here’s more out of Utah:
- Should the Jazz be worried about Lauri Markkanen‘s decline in shooting efficiency or Keyonte George‘s defense? In the view of Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, the latter is more concerning than the former, since Markkanen is facing more defensive attention than ever and has been forced to take more difficult shots. George, on the other hand, has statistically been the worst defensive player on the league’s worst defensive team — Utah’s league-worst 119.7 defensive rating drops to a team-worst 123.6 during George’s minutes. George has good size for a guard (6’4″, with a wingspan of nearly 6’8″) and should be better defensively, according to Larsen, who says it’s imperative that the 21-year-old improve on that end of the court.
- Cody Williams‘ offensive numbers through his first 19 NBA games (3.5 PPG on .312/.238/.643 shooting) have been brutal, so it was encouraging to see him go off for a season-high 36 points on 13-of-21 shooting for the Salt Lake City Stars on Wednesday, writes Larsen. Larsen suggests it might be better for Williams’ development, at least for now, to have him taking 20 shots per game in the G League rather than “being along for the ride” at the NBA level.
- The two-way contract that Elijah Harkless signed with the Jazz on Wednesday is for two years, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means it will cover not just the rest of the 2024/25 season but ’25/26 as well, giving Utah the option of hanging onto Harkless beyond this season without having to negotiate a new deal.
And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.
“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”
Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.
League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- ESPN insiders Ohm Youngmisuk, Jamal Collier, Chris Herring, Dave McMenamin and Tim MacMahon answer some key questions related to the remainder of the 2024/25 season. Youngmisuk and MacMahon picked Victor Wembanyama to be the breakout player of 2025, with Paolo Banchero, Donte DiVincenzo and Trae Young also receiving votes.
- Former NBA guard Raul Neto and Spanish EuroLeague club Barcelona have parted ways, according to a team press release. Barcelona described the move as mutual. The Brazilian point guard has had terrible injury luck over the past two seasons. After missing the entire 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury, he was limited to just two appearances with Barcelona, getting injured on each occasion. In his debut in late November, he sustained an injury that sidelined him for four weeks. In his return on Dec. 27, he suffered a left thigh injury that will sideline him for 12 weeks. An eight-year veteran, Neto’s last NBA action came for Cleveland during the ’22/23 season.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports ranks his current top-five choices for the 2025 MVP award, though he only views three players as “serious contenders” for first place: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.
Daigneault, Atkinson Claim Coach Of The Month Awards
The head coaches of the teams with the best records in the NBA have claimed the Coach of the Month awards for their respective conferences, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Mark Daigneault, who guided the Thunder to a 12-1 record in December, won the award for the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is currently 27-5, the second-best mark in the NBA and the top seed in the West.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson won the East’s award for the second consecutive time. Cleveland also went 12-1 last month and is currently 29-4, the best record in the league.
If the season ended today, Atkinson and Daigneault would almost certainly be two of the frontrunners for Coach of the Year. Of course, we’re only about 40% through the 2024/25 regular season, and a lot could change between now and April.
Chris Finch (Timberwolves), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers) were the other nominees in the West, while Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Nick Nurse (Sixers), Quin Snyder (Hawks) and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks) were nominated in the East (Twitter link).
Injury Notes: Pelicans, Lakers, Celtics, Ivey, M. Robinson
After missing the past 23 games with a left hamstring strain, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado says he plans to return to action on Friday vs. Washington, as Will Guillory of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
“I’ll be playing tomorrow for sure,” Alvarado said. “No doubt. … I finally get to be Jose again. It’s going to be a lot of crazy man out there.”
Both of the Pelicans’ injured star forwards — Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson — were spotted getting some on-court work in after Thursday’s practice, according to Guillory (Twitter video links).
Williamson has been out since Nov. 6 with a left hamstring strain and was considered week-to-week nine days ago. Ingram, who has been out since Dec. 7 due to a “significant” left ankle sprain, is set to be reevaluated next week.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left oblique strain) are unlikely to suit up on Thursday when the Lakers host Portland, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link). Both players have been downgraded to doubtful after initially being listed as questionable.
- The Celtics have downgraded Jaylen Brown (right shoulder strain) and Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) from questionable to out for Thursday’s game in Minnesota, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Porzingis, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with the injury, said he was “definitely getting close” to returning following shootaround in the afternoon, per Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thursday will mark Brown’s first absence with the shoulder issue and sixth missed game overall.
- Jaden Ivey underwent surgery on Thursday morning to repair the broken fibula in his left leg after sustaining the injury on Wednesday. Although Ivey will reportedly miss most — if not all — of the rest of the season, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press hears there’s optimism the Pistons guard did not sustain ligament or tendon damage, which is encouraging news (Twitter link).
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. Although he hasn’t been able to run at full speed to this point, head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team is expecting Robinson to be cleared for practices “sometime this month,” according to SNY.tv.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for games played in December, while Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley has claimed the award in the East, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson averaged 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks in 28.7 minutes per game over 14 appearances last month. He posted a shooting line of .464/.384/.780.
Jackson was the only player in the NBA to have 20-plus steals and 20-plus blocks last month, per the league, with Memphis ranking third in the West in defensive rating over that stretch.
Mobley, who made the All-Defensive First Team alongside Jackson in 2023, averaged 18.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG on .589/.524/.696 shooting 12 December games (28.9 MPG). The Cavs led the East in defensive rating last month. Mobley was tied for second in the East in contested shots per game in December (10.0).
The Cavaliers, who have won eight straight and hold the best record in the league (29-4), have the NBA’s top offense and eighth-best defense. Memphis, which has the second-best record in the West at 23-11, ranks fifth and fourth in those categories, respectively.
Jackson beat out Toumani Camara, Anthony Davis, Kris Dunn, Walker Kessler and Victor Wembanyama in the West. The other nominees in the East were Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Suggs (Twitter link).
Wembanyama and Daniels won the awards for games played in October and November. This is the first season in which the monthly defensive honors have been given.