Trail Blazers rumors: Extension talks between Malcolm Brogdon and Portland?

When Malcolm Brogdon arrived in Portland as part of the deal that forwarded Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics, it was assumed the Trail Blazers would send Brogdon on his merry way just as they did Holiday.

But the franchise decided to keep the 31-year-old around as a mentor to rookie Scoot Henderson, second-year guard Shaedon Sharpe and the 24-year-old Anfernee Simons.

Brogdon has done more than that, though, becoming as valuable on the court as he is in the locker room, which has him poised to remain with the Blazers past the Feb. 8 trade deadline. But could it be even longer?

Malcolm Brogdon reportedly "hopeful" Blazers open to extension talks

In his latest trade rumor roundup (which he fittingly released exactly 72 hours before Thursday's deadline), Marc Stein (subscription required) mentioned Brogdon's interest in staying in Portland through his current contract and beyond:

"There have been some recent rumblings that Brogdon, with one season left on his current contract after this one at $22.5 million, has been hopeful that the Blazers would entertain contract extension talks. Portland’s willingness to go that far is rather hard to picture given the understandable focus on its array of young guards — most notably Anfernee Simons and rookie Scoot Henderson — but the prospect of a longer stay than anticipated in the Pacific Northwest for the 31-year-old has gained credence."

- Marc Stein

Stein's mention of the Blazers' potential unwillingness to pay Brogdon past his age-32 season has some merit, especially as Henderson continues to improve and Simons gets comfortable as a go-to scorer.

Still, Brogdon is averaging nearly 16 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists while only turning the ball over 1.5 times and shooting 41.2 percent from three. If he truly wants to stay and is willing to take a "hometown" discount, keeping a player of his caliber around as a rotation guard wouldn't be the worst idea.