The Portland Trail Blazers bringing in Ja Morant this offseason says a lot about their confidence in Scoot Henderson as their starting point guard of the future.
Sure, they didn't sacrifice valuable assets to land Morant, sending the Memphis Grizzlies a negative asset in Jerami Grant and an expendable wing in Kris Murray. But Morant's arrival in Portland still comes with its risks and downsides. Portland could be paying for this trade in other ways, including the hindrance of Henderson's development.
Ja Morant trade pushes Scoot Henderson down the offensive hierarchy
Henderson is a former No. 3 overall pick who was expected to be the face of this entire Blazers rebuild. Instead, he's now behind Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and even point forward Deni Avdija in the ballhandling/playmaking pecking order to initiate the offense.
Shaedon Sharpe's sixth-month absence due to a torn meniscus should open up minutes for Henderson to play off-ball, though that's only a temporary solution.
Suddenly the clock is ticking for Portland to decide on Henderson's future. He's currently eligible for a rookie-scale extension leading up to the start of the 2026-27 season. Before investing in him long-term, the Blazers need to seriously consider where Henderson fits alongside Morant and Sharpe (upon his return).
That decision-making becomes more difficult for Portland's front office due to Henderson's hamstring injury suffered last offseason. He totaled just 30 games played last season, and then made things even more confusing with an up-and-down first-round playoff series against the Spurs. Henderson scored 18, 31, and 21 in Portland's first three games that series, only to disappear in the second half with a goose egg followed by a five-point outing.
That series alone perfectly sums up what the Scoot Henderson experience has been like through three seasons. Flashes of that star upside followed by frustratingly inconsistent play. The Blazers aren't making it any easier on him by becoming such an afterthought in this backcourt. Those inconsistencies are likely to continue in 2026-27 because he doesn't have a clearly defined role.
Blazers must decide on Scoot Henderson's future
Now, the Blazers must decide what to do with their volatile guard. They could reach an extension as they did with Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara before last season. Or, they could let Henderson reach restricted free agency next summer. I also wouldn't rule out a trade by February's deadline, depending on how this backcourt looks to begin the season.
There are several questions to sort out in this crowded backcourt. But it's become increasingly clear that, should Henderson stick around in Portland, it's no longer his backcourt.
The Henderson era was already coming to a close as the Blazers gradually began pivoting away from him as a lead playmaker. The Lillard return was only going to make things harder for him to claim those keys to the backcourt.
But the Morant trade was more telling about Portland's stance on Henderson than Lillard. This was the front office willingly going out of their way to bring in a long-term upgrade at the position at his expense; that alone should prove that this is the beginning of the end for Scoot Henderson's Blazers era.
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