The Portland Trail Blazers were expected to be buyers at February's trade deadline to make a playoff push, but surprisingly stayed quiet. That built up even more anticipation for a potential splash this offseason, where they were... kind of buyers?
They certainly acquired the star name in Ja Morant, though the assets surrendered are far more indicative of how low his value currently is around the league.
It's hard to see what general manager Joe Cronin's final vision is for this roster. Still, the Morant trade did make it clear that Scoot Henderson is not expected to be the point guard of the future.
He was already a potential trade candidate given the looming extension and restricted free agency dilemma Portland currently has to navigate. But the fact that Morant is now in the mix makes Henderson even more expendable.
Ja Morant's arrival makes Scoot Henderson expendable in Portland
On a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie named a handful of teams that would make sense as potential fits for Henderson, including the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and Detroit Pistons.
But what about the New Orleans Pelicans, a team continuing to add to its young core that requires more backcourt clarity?
It also helps that Portland has a plethora of bigs to dangle in a trade, considering the starting center currently listed on ESPN for New Orleans is... 6-foot-7, 206-pound wing Herb Jones?
The Pelicans' front office has valued their assets surprisingly high for a team coming off a 26-win season; that could complicate negotiations for Portland, given Cronin's reputation as a firm negotiator as well.
Still, the Pelicans' glaring need for a lead guard and center depth could present an ideal trade partner for the Blazers, who have previously expressed interest in Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III dating back to February's trade deadline.
Blazers should revisit trade talks with Pelicans for Trey Murphy III
Some wondered if Murphy would be the next trade domino to fall as the offseason dust began to settle. However, seeing how highly New Orleans has valued its pieces up until this point, it would be surprising if something actually materialized before the start of the 2026-27 season.
Portland appears content to head into the new season with its backcourt logjam unresolved as well, signaling to teams that they aren't interested in trading Jrue Holiday.
Hopefully, both sides gain more clarity on their respective roster situations by February's deadline. The Pelicans can still realize their young core doesn't have a contender ceiling, so it makes sense to trade Murphy for future assets and take a step back in the short term. Meanwhile, the Blazers have time to evaluate their messy backcourt situation and what pieces actually fit.
The fact that they are willingly keeping the trio of Holiday, Damian Lillard, and Ja Morant heading into the season suggests that Henderson could be the odd man out, especially with his contract situation.
Murphy is the far more valuable asset than Henderson, but that could be the start of a trade framework as the season progresses. The Blazers have plenty of future draft capital to make it worth the Pelicans while, and should be willing to pay full price given how well Murphy fits with this young core.
Murphy would provide Portland with the wing depth they need alongside Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija, giving them another versatile defender to help get back a defensive identity that was likely lost through their offseason moves. He would also add the shooting this roster desperately needed throughout this entire rebuild, an issue that Portland willingly ignored when taking on the paint-oriented Morant.
Most importantly, though, Murphy is a legitimate co-star to pair with Avdija.
Portland needs more star power to catch up in the Western Conference, and somewhat achieved that by landing the imperfectly fitting Morant. While that deal was understandably polarizing, one benefit was that it preserved the Blazers' future assets to make a legitimate roster upgrade.
Portland was clearly intrigued with the idea of pairing Murphy with this young core at last year's deadline, and it's easy to see why. But with Portland finally returning to the playoffs, bringing back Damian Lillard, and bringing in aggressive new owner Tom Dundon, there's an increased sense of urgency for these deals to actually materialize.
While a package revolving around Henderson, salary filler, and draft picks for Murphy isn't in the works now, it's something Cronin should be keeping in the back of his mind as the season progresses.
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