CBS Sports' Sam Quinn graded the Portland Trail Blazers' offseason a "D" on a recent episode of the Third Apron Podcast with Yossi Gozlan. Part of the concern was that Portland's former top-ten picks, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, became afterthoughts in a suddenly crowded backcourt.
It clouds the long-term future for each, which was recently highlighted in Bleacher Report's Dan Favale's list of players to join trade rumors this upcoming season. Both of the Blazers' young guards made an appearance, for similar reasons that Quinn cited.
The Blazers don't necessarily seem in a rush to resolve their logjam anytime soon. Any wild rumors surrounding a potential Jrue Holiday buyout were recently put to rest by NBA insider Marc Stein. But eventually, something has to give.
Maybe that means moving one of Holiday or Morant to clear space to renegotiate and extend Deni Avdija. It could also mean trading Sharpe and/or Henderson, or at the very least entertaining trade offers for each.
Scoot Henderson floated as an ideal Celtics trade target
Quinn mentioned the Boston Celtics as a potential Henderson trade suitor, believing the two parties would fit one another.
"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."
The Blazers have a bit more urgency in deciding how Henderson fits into their plans. They reached a four-year, $90 million extension with Sharpe last offseason. Now, it's Henderson's class that's extension-eligible up until the day before the season starts.
Blazers must decide where Scoot fits into their long-term plans, if at all
If an extension isn't reached, he'd then become a restricted free agent. That's a risky proposition, with teams potentially willing to bet that Henderson reaches his ceiling as a focal point somewhere he isn't buried on the depth chart. In terms of extension talks, the Blazers could use that as leverage in negotiations. But once restricted free agency hits, it only takes one team to translate that bullish stance into an overpay bid Portland doesn't want to match.
The benefit of bringing in all these guards is the flexibility to entertain offers on just about any one of them besides Lillard, with his rare no-trade clause. That includes Henderson, who is becoming an increasingly valuable trade asset as he learns how to make more of a two-way impact. The fact that Quinn equated Henderson to being a good fit for the Celtics organization tells you everything you need to know about how he's figured out how to play winning basketball.
But now, Portland needs to figure out what that means in the scheme of its long-term plans, whether that means extending Scoot, trading him, or simply staying the course.
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