The Portland Trail Blazers have filled out their 15-man roster and two-way spots. However they still must decide on extension-eligible players before the start of the 2026-27 season.
Last year we saw Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe reach four-year extensions worth $82 million and $90 million, respectively. Now, the Blazers have to decide what to do with point guard and former No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson.
Blazers have a Scoot Henderson extension dilemma
Sharpe's extension last summer could've gone either way, especially after falling out of Chauncey Billups' starting unit midseason due to lackluster defense. Ultimately, Portland determined that the $90 million figure was worth the risk of Sharpe's tantalizing upside. While he didn't justify that amount with his current two-way impact on winning, it was a balancing act to bet on his potential.
Camara was almost the exact opposite case. The second-round draft gem has made an immediate impact since coming over to Portland as part of the Deandre Ayton deal with the Phoenix Suns. There wasn't any risk attached to that extension, as Camara was already playing at a level to justify that number. Not to mention, his underappreciated availability, having played all 82 games this past season.
The Blazers' path with Henderson doesn't seem as straightforward. It's a combination of Camara and Sharpe's situation. He does have the upside of a top-three draft pick who's still just 22 years old. At the same time, it's becoming increasingly difficult to see a path to stardom for Henderson if that means staying in Portland.
He's done a good job of becoming more of a 3-and-D guard for them, allowing Deni Avdija to initiate the offense as a point forward. That should be even more beneficial this season with more ball-dominant guards coming in, Damian Lillard and Ja Morant.
But with Portland's current backcourt logjam factored in, where does that leave Henderson? They wouldn't have assembled this backcourt of misfitting guards had they felt confident that Henderson was the long-term answer at the position.
In other words, it's hard to see a path to where Henderson either has an immediate impact like Camara or reaches his star potential, which Sharpe has at least shown glimpses of prior to this massive injury setback.
While the Blazers should still prioritize retaining Henderson one way or another, it doesn't necessarily have to be an extension before the season. It simply feels like there are too many question marks in this backcourt to invest further in it now.
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