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“He’s excited to be on a team with vets like Dame and Jrue, and he loves the young talent of Deni (Avdija), Scoot, (Donovan) Clingan, (Toumani) Camara … I mean, he mentioned them all by name,” Nori said. As they left the restaurant, Nori asked Morant what he needed from him. How could he help? “He just said, ‘Make sure I get some Trail Blazers gear as soon as possible so I can start wearing it,’” Nori said.
That leads to the unspoken part of this trade: more deals are on the way. Have to be. The Blazers now have four point guards — Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Henderson — so unloading one or two seems likely. If I was to guess, I would imagine Holiday, because of his contract and because of his skill set, is the more likely candidate to be traded next.
The Blazers are still in the market to make another deal. They want more big-man depth and realize they have a logjam of four point guards with Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, but the team does not feel it is essential to unload one of its guards. The Blazers believe the four guards can co-exist, in large part because the team believes Holiday can alleviate the redundancy by playing him off the ball as a shooting guard or small forward.
The Ja Morant trade caught many around the NBA by surprise, as the oft-injured Memphis Grizzlies guard was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. One executive from another team I talked to called the deal “confusing," citing the Blazers' glut of guards with Damian Lillard returning from Achilles surgery and Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson under contract. He wondered whether there was a corresponding deal the Blazers were working on to clear up the position.
Trail Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija was not on the table in trade talks for Antetokounmpo, and he remains off the table in Brown discussions as of now, league sources told HoopsHype. Portland’s other young players, such as Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, are considered available. With Boston considering center upgrades and needing to replace Brown’s position if he’s traded, Portland’s Donovan Clingan and 2025 All-Defensive forward Toumani Camara would both be coveted by Boston. However, neither has been put on the table at this time.
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Portland previously attempted to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, but he communicated that he didn't have interest in signing long-term with the franchise. The Blazers could also pursue a trade for Anthony Davis this offseason as the Washington Wizards consider their options. The Blazers could offer a combination of draft capital, Jerami Grant's expiring contract as salary ballast, and young players such as Scoot Henderson and Sharron Sharpe.
Draymond Green: "Jason Kidd from Oakland. Damian Lillard also from Oakland. Point guard. You look at Scoot Henderson, a young guard. How can Jason Kidd help him? So when you take a step back and you look at those jobs, I definitely can see Jason Kidd taking the Trail Blazers job. Now, however, it's been widely known that the owner of their team doesn't want to pay the head coach. It's been widely publicized. A lot of people have been talking about it. And quite honestly, you're making $10 million to do nothing and this coach trying to pay a million or two million dollars. I think that will run Jason Kidd the opposite way. But when I look at the Trail Blazers roster, that looks like the team that Jason Kidd will feel most confident on this list and going into next year saying, 'We got a chance to compete.' The Orlando Magic also is a team that's going into next year you're saying can compete. The Bulls not so much. So I wouldn't expect him to even interview for the Bulls job. But if he wants any of these jobs, he'll definitely be right at the top of the list because his five-year tenure with the Mavericks were extremely successful."
Darren Wolfson: "Let's not forget, Phil, Giannis has the hammer because he's essentially in a contract year. There's that player option, but wherever he goes, he's signing an extension. I could certainly concoct a great package that the Portland Trail Blazers could put together for Giannis. But if Giannis through his representation signals to the Blazers, I'm not signing a contract extension, you're not giving up Scoot Henderson and a million draft picks. You're just not doing that. The word is, going back to February, Giannis has interest in a few places. I was told, I was led to believe that Minnesota is one of those places, that there is enough intrigue, Giannis teaming up with Anthony Edwards. So yes, I absolutely foresee Tim Connelly re-engaging the Bucks, maybe already has."
Sean Highkin: Scoot on his fit with Dame: "I've been playing off the ball more. It'll be special to see how that pans out. Dame was one of my favorite players growing up. I used to play 2K and have 50 or 60 with him. It'll be special for Rip City to see that."
Sean Highkin: Scoot Henderson on Tiago Splitter: "He was amazing. Having to be put in that role and lead a team to the playoffs, it was special that a former player took that role and didn't second-guess it. He stepped up and put his chest out."
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Sean Highkin: Jrue Holiday on Scoot Henderson: "I think when Scoot got comfortable, you saw what he's capable of and that's the tip of the iceberg. Him getting a full season of being healthy ... I think he has a bright future."
Sean Highkin: Scoot Henderson on the Spurs saying after Game 2 that they’re going to be more physical with him: “The playoffs is a game of adjustments. They’re going to make adjustments but we’re also going to make adjustments.”
Scoot Henderson’s 31-point performance added another layer of difficulty for San Antonio’s defense, though Fox avoided framing it as an outlier. “He’s going to come out and shoot like that,” Fox said. “If he’s got to get 30 and they win by three, I think we’re in a decent spot.” The Spurs’ defensive approach also included stretches of physical perimeter coverage, which Fox believes should be consistent across both teams. “If they’re going to be officiated and let them be physical, just let us be physical back,” he said.
