The Portland Trail Blazers haven't made Scoot Henderson openly available for trade. But they definitely haven't made him a priority this offseason, either.
Once expected to be the face of this rebuild, Henderson suddenly finds himself as the fourth-best point guard on the team. To make matters worse for his uncertain Blazers future, it's become clear that a Jrue Holiday buyout isn't on the table.
That never appeared realistic, but still, the point is: Henderson's fit in this backcourt, and subsequently his future in Portland, is murkier than ever.
Adding another layer of complexity is the fact that Henderson is currently extension-eligible leading up to the season. Portland may be forced to decide on its young point guard's future sooner than it hoped, which is especially difficult after he was limited to just 30 games played last season.
He showed enough during that limited stretch that teams around the league should be looking at Portland's backcourt logjam and viewing it as a potential opportunity to take a flier on Henderson. His style of play translates well with several teams, but we narrowed it down to three that could really use his two-way game to add more depth in the backcourt.
Boston Celtics
On the Third Apron Podcast, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports mentioned the Boston Celtics as a potential trade suitor for Henderson, saying that they have enough assets to land a young guard who would fit their roster.
"I would be trying to trade for Scoot Henderson," Quinn said. "Like if I was a smart team like Boston, I'm staring daggers at you, like you've got this pick surplus. Go get a young, talented guard. He fits the way that you want to play. Go get him."
That goes to show the growth in Scoot's game, as he certainly wasn't impacting winning early on in his career. He's really embraced a lessened role by making more of a two-way impact, developing into more of a 3-and-D guard for Portland rather than being the primary offensive initiator. That could be similar to a Marcus Smart-type role in Boston, doing all the dirty work as a guard.
Detroit Pistons
Another spot that an expanding two-way game would fit in well is Detroit as a complementary piece for Cade Cunningham. Similarly to what Henderson's role would be in Boston with Jayson Tatum doing most of the offensive initiation, Henderson would be that backcourt role player to jumbo guard Cade Cunningham.
His defense has improved to the point where he could guard the opposing team's best ball-handler, allowing Cunningham to preserve energy for a Pistons offense that needs more weapons. Henderson is still a work in progress when it comes to being a consistent offensive weapon himself, but it wouldn't hurt having another secondary ballhandler.
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets seemingly sold high on LaMelo Ball in their deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, committing to a retool around Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller.
They did secure Coby White to a three-year, $74 million deal that suggests he's the replacement for Ball. But it seems easier to fill Ball's void in the aggregate, bringing someone like Henderson into the mix as another backup option.
Right now their backup point guards are listed as rookie Christian Anderson and Tre Mann. That's very undersized and offensive-minded, which fits the three-point heavy brand of basketball Charlotte prefers to play. They'd still benefit from a two-way guard like Henderson who can focus on intangibles while the rest of the team jacks up threes like it's a local YMCA.
Maybe some of that cools down with Ball now in Minnesota, which is probably in their best long-term interest. To trend further in that direction of establishing a winning culture, Henderson's work ethic is hard to beat.
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