With lucrative rookie-scale extension being reached around the league for members of the 2023 draft class such as Keyonte George and Ausar Thompson, Portland Trail Blazers No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson continues to wait his turn.
And though the Blazers reached extensions with Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe before last season began, things seem different this time around with Henderson.
Blazers seem hesitant to commit to an inconsistent Scoot Henderson
Sam Quinn and Yossi Gozlan covered the recent extensions on the Third Apron Podcast, discussing whether Henderson could be next to join his draft classmates. However, Quinn says no on a Henderson extension for Portland, citing the messy backcourt logjam that still needs to be resolved.
"I just think that situation in Portland is such a mess," Quinn said. "I've said this before: I very badly want them to trade him. I think on the right team he still has a lot of upside. They have too many guards. They have the Deni [Avdija] situation hanging over this. They need to split up."
From Gozlan's perspective, Portland's potential extension offer likely isn't worth considering for Henderson. If he were Henderson, he would be seeking around $20 million annually, but adds that he's skeptical the Blazers are willing to agree to that amount. It's quite the self-created dilemma Portland has willingly gotten themselves into.
Henderson's untimely hamstring injury before the season didn't make things any easier as far as player evaluation and finding him a consistent role. The first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs was a prime example of how up-and-down Henderson's time has been to start his career in Portland.
Here were his scoring totals through that five-game series: 18, 31, 21, 0, and 5.
Early in the series, he showcased that upside that Quinn refers to, even reminding the NBA world he's only a few years removed from being considered a top draft prospect. Unfortunately, consistency has been an issue for Henderson, and that problem resurfaced later in the series, including a goose egg in a pivotal Game 4.
Scoot Henderson would benefit from a change of scenery
That injury-riddled rollercoaster of a season already complicated whether Henderson is a legitimate part of this young core and whether Portland should continue investing in him long-term with an extension.
It's understandable why they are hesitant to commit to him, as they likely want to see Henderson put it together on a more consistent basis. But as Quinn and Gozlan point out, this no longer seems ideal for Henderson, as it could be in his best interest to see whether he benefits from a change of scenery.
He doesn't have much leverage, since he would enter restricted free agency if Portland doesn't reach an extension before the season. But since he's fallen further down the pecking order this offseason after bringing in Ja Morant, it would be understandable if Henderson eventually requested a trade.
Portland isn't making him a priority, and that's clear both in their inaction on an extension and in their decision to bring in more guards this summer, signaling their lack of confidence in Henderson as a long-term solution at starting point guard.
If Henderson doesn't get what he's looking for with an extension, why would he want to stay somewhere he's already become an afterthought?
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