Scoot Henderson has been playing some of the best basketball of his young career the past month, averaging 14.4 points, 5.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from three.
His athleticism may not be as elite as we expected coming into the league, but lately, Scoot has compensated for that with an improving three-point shot. That's an extremely promising sign for the Portland Trail Blazers' long-term outlook, as he's arguably the most important piece of their rebuild.
Despite Henderson's breakout this month, Chauncey Billups is now back to bringing Scoot off the bench. Billups should be prioritizing Henderson's development more, but it's also part of a larger issue with GM Joe Cronin and Portland's roster construction.
One way or another, Scoot needs the keys to the Blazers' rebuild. And with Henderson playing so well lately, it's become more apparent that the Blazers can move on from Anfernee Simons.
Sports Illustrated's Matt Levine proposed a deal sending Simons to a surprising landing spot: the Atlanta Hawks. It's a three-team pitch, including the Chicago Bulls, who, like Portland, could also look to be sellers at the deadline.
Mock trade sends Anfernee Simons to the Atlanta Hawks
Here is the deal in full:
After years of mediocrity, the Bulls are finally retooling their roster, as evidenced by the Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey deal with the Thunder. This move would be another step in the right direction for them. It's obvious the 34-year-old Nikola Vucevic no longer fits into their timeline. He's still playing well, averaging 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season. Chicago would be wise to cash in their chips while they can.
The Hawks are a .500 team and could use a trade deadline move to shake up their roster before the deadline. Atlanta needs to get out of no man's land, whether as sellers looking to rebuild or buyers looking to make an aggressive playoff push.
This trade has them at least picking a side, going all in with Nikola Vucevic and Simons. But is it the right move? Probably not.
As skilled as they both are offensively, the idea of having a starting lineup with Trae Young and Simons in the backcourt with Vucevic anchoring the middle is a defensive nightmare. Although the Hawks are trading 2025 and 2026 first-round picks, they can still do so under the Stepien Rule, as they have both the Lakers' and Kings' first-rounders in 2025 (Sacramento's is top 12 protected).
Still, sacrificing two first-round picks to wind up as still a likely early playoff exit is the exact type of move that sets your franchise back for years to come.
This deal makes sense from Chicago's standpoint and is a very questionable move for Atlanta. But what about Portland?
Should the Trail Blazers do this deal?
The Blazers already have 15 players on their roster, so someone would need to be waived in order to make this work. Assuming it does work, Portland should at least consider this return for Simons.
Although Simons is a prolific offensive weapon, it's going to be difficult for Portland to make a deep playoff run if he's one of their best players. And with his contract expiring after next season, they would likely have to pay him like he was their best player in order to keep him around. Trading him at the deadline would be a proactive move for their rebuild.
Clearing a starting point guard spot for Henderson and an increased role for Shaedon Sharpe in the offensive hierarchy would do wonders for the development of their future backcourt.
Acquiring Patrick Williams would help balance out their roster, as Portland currently needs more wing depth, especially if they eventually trade Jerami Grant as well.
As the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Williams showed a ton of potential as a 3-and-D wing with an upside for more. But now in his fifth season, Williams hasn't progressed as much as many were expecting, as his 9.3 points per game are nearly identical to his scoring as a rookie.
Ideally, Portland would acquire someone with more upside if they traded Simons. It also doesn't help that the San Antonio Spurs have the right to swap Atalnta's 2026 first-round pick -- it wouldn't be shocking if the Spurs make the playoffs next year at the rate Victor Wembanyama is ascending.
On the surface, 23-year-old Williams and a first-round pick are valuable additions to a rebuilding team. That's the exact type of package Portland should be pursuing in a deal. However, the upside could be limited due to Williams' lack of progress and the first-round pick potentially being in the 20s.