Grade the Trade: Blazers turn Scoot into All-Star wing in latest proposal

The Portland Trail Blazers seem to be at a crossroads. On one hand, an All-NBA point guard in his prime is putting pressure on the team to load up for a run now. On the other, the Blazers have a budding teenage star in Shaedon Sharpe and the No. 3 pick in this month’s NBA Draft.

That’s an illusion, however. There is no chance the Trail Blazers will do anything other than their best to put a winning team around Damian Lillard, the best player in franchise history. That means using the third pick as the means to an upgrade that will give Lillard the co-star he has lacked for a long time.

Thankfully, the latest NBA rumors suggest the hype around point guard prospect Scoot Henderson is lining up a Blazers’ partner to make a win-now trade.

The team going after Scoot Henderson

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday that the New Orleans Pelicans are making a hard push to get a top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, with their eyes set on G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson. With the Charlotte Hornets rumored to take Alabama wing Brandon Miller with pick No. 2 (and Victor Wembanyama the Fort Knox of locks to go No. 1 to the San Antonio Spurs), the Trail Blazers could be in line to benefit.

The Blazers aren’t going to trade the No. 3 pick for just anyone, but the Pelicans might have a player who would be worth the move. Let’s look at a potential deal to turn the potential of a draft pick into the surety of a former All-Star.