The [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.blazersedge.com) are entering a nexus of decision-making that will reshape the future of their team. Over the next 14 months they’ll determine the fate of three members of their roster, all playing on expiring contracts next season. The well-chronicled trio consists of guard Anfernee Simons, center Deandre Ayton, and center Robert Williams III.
If you’ve been around American culture for the last decade or so, you are no doubt familiar with the game \[synonym for fornicate\]/marry/kill. You’re given a list of three candidates. You have to take one of the titular actions with each. Hilarity and deep conversation ensues.
Today we’re going to play a version of that with the aforementioned Blazers vets. Here are the three actions:
EXTEND—sign to a contract extension this summer to ensure their continued presence on the team.
TRADE—move the player to another team. There’s no guarantee that you’ll receive great value back. This action simply jettisons the player for whatever you can reasonably get.
RIDE—ride out the contract until next summer and let the chips fall where they may, risking the player walking for nothing (and/or pocketing the potential cap savings).
So, you have Simons, Ayton, and Williams. You have to assign one to each category. Who goes where and why?
Share your answers in the comment section below.
(Note that Matisse Thybulle could also be in this exercise. He has a single year remaining on his current deal. It’s a player option though. He hasn’t officially opted in, so we’re leaving him out of this discussion for now.)