The Portland Trail Blazers roster is messy as they continue stockpiling assets at this stage in their rebuilding process. For instance, after selecting Donovan Clingan as the No. 7 overall pick, they have four centers on their roster. However, an even more pressing issue is that they will likely have to bench one of their previous top ten picks, Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe.
Players like Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant remain heavily involved in trade rumors. Grant isn't taking away a starting role from a player of Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe's caliber like Simons is, but he is also the oldest player on the Blazers' roster at 30 and doesn't fit their timeline.
Portland is a long way from contending in the competitive Western Conference, meaning getting all the assets they can for established pieces as they continue the youth movement makes sense. As a result, their 2025-26 starting lineup could look much different than next season's projected lineup.
PG: Scoot Henderson
Henderson could start next season if the Blazers decide to have Simons take on starting shooting guard duties. But if he doesn't start next season, Scoot should at least be a starter in 2025-26. The Blazers could move Simons or Grant, opening up a starting spot for whoever is the odd man out between Henderson and Sharpe. Deni Avdija has great positional size as a 6-foot-9 forward and could slide to the power forward position if the Blazers move Grant. But the easiest solution would be to move Simons.
Portland and general manager Joe Cronin have made it clear that the Blazers' future backcourt is Henderson and Sharpe. But Simons is arguably the team's best player and is someone they must start. Given his age, productivity, and reasonable contract, he is also expected to have high trade value around the league.
Henderson had a rocky start to his rookie season, missing out on NBA All-Rookie Team honors despite being the No. 3 overall pick. However, guards typically take longer to transition to the NBA, and Scoot's end-of-season stretch was much more encouraging. He may not start at the beginning of this upcoming season, but Henderson could earn his way into a starting role by the end of next season if he continues building off his productive and more efficient run post-All-Star break.