The Portland Trail Blazers didn't exactly express their confidence in Scoot Henderson this summer. In fact, they moved him further down the totem pole after surprisingly coming away with Ja Morant in a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Between Henderson, Morant, Jrue Holiday, and a healthy Damian Lillard, Portland suddenly finds itself with a massive logjam at the point guard position. They aren't actively shopping Holiday, just acquired Morant, and Lillard has a no-trade clause. If the Blazers were to resolve the positional logjam before the start of the 2026-27 season, that points to Henderson as the potential odd man out.
New trade ideas show just how underrated Scoot Henderson is
While Henderson has shown gradual progress since his historically bad rookie season, he's still failed to meet lofty expectations associated with being the No. 3 overall pick in 2023 -- once viewed as a consolation prize for Portland missing out on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
Although he shouldn't be considered off limits in trade talks by any means, it's also not the best time for Portland to trade him, as they'd be selling low. The bust narrative surrounding him has gone so far that he's now underrated.
For context, here are some recent trade ideas proposed on Sports Illustrated.
Proposal No. 1:
Blazers receive: Tyler Herro, Caris LeVert
Bucks receive: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Yang Hansen
Proposal No. 2:
Blazers receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, 3 second-round picks
Hornets receive: Scoot Henderson
Blazers would be selling low on Scoot Henderson
Once you redefine expectations and look at Henderson through the lens of a valuable two-way guard off the bench rather than a former No. 3 overall pick, it's apparent that he can still contribute to winning basketball for Portland.
In proposal No. 2, the Blazers essentially give away that for nothing. The Houston Rockets just had to attach three second-round picks to offload Dorian Finney-Smith to the Hornets earlier this month.
Many around the league seem to be looking at Portland's logjam as an opportunity to buy low on untapped potential, whether that's Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe. However, the Blazers aren't going to trade Henderson at a discount just because they suddenly have a stockpile of assets. That would be a myopic decision to move on from a 22-year-old just because the short-term backcourt picture remains murky.
It would be one thing if Henderson had higher value and could be packaged as one of the headliners to come away with a star. But as these trade proposals have shown, that couldn't be further from the case.
It remains to be seen if Henderson is truly a long-term part of this core, and it's especially fair to wonder that after bringing in Morant. Even then, it's in their best interest to hold out until Henderson raises his value and perception around the league - - even if that means reaching an extension before the season.
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