The Golden State Warriors have already added Brandon Williams on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, but that move shouldn’t close the door on a bigger swing at the guard spot. If anything, it keeps the conversation alive around Scoot Henderson.
Henderson’s situation with the Portland Trail Blazers is looking increasingly crowded. Heading into his fourth year, his future is being questioned with Damian Lillard back in the mix and the addition of Ja Morant giving Portland another high-end option in a backcourt that already includes Jrue Holiday and the point-forward game of Deni Avdija. That kind of traffic jam could leave the former No. 3 pick with very little room to operate.
That’s why Jeremy Brener of Sports Illustrated believes a move may be coming. “The Blazers trade for Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies suggests that there is not a ton of confidence in Henderson moving forward. He will get a chance to compete for minutes in a role and a new contract, but Morant will be given more opportunities, which will see a dip in Henderson's usage rate,” Brenner wrote.
For Golden State, the fit is easy to see. The Warriors need more help handling the ball, especially with six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler still out because of injury. Williams was the first answer, but the fact that he spent nearly two months waiting for a contract in free agency makes it fair to wonder whether he’s really the full solution.
Henderson would give them a different kind of bet. He has enough talent to make a team believe he can still grow into a long-term starting point guard, but he hasn’t done enough yet to command starter-level money on a rookie extension.
And unlike a team asking him to carry the offense, the Warriors wouldn’t need him to do that right away. There would be minutes available, a clear role, and a path to development without the pressure of immediate franchise-level expectations.
Last season, Henderson averaged 14.2 points and 3.7 assists in less than 25 minutes per game, which showed he can produce when he gets the chance. With Stephen Curry now 38 and dealing with a lingering knee issue, Golden State could give Henderson meaningful run and let him grow into a larger role when Curry sits or needs a breather.
In Other News...
Warriors Fans Will Hate Where This Latest Spurs Hype Went
Charles Barkley already has the basketball world talking again, this time with a comparison that will land hard in the Bay Area. After praising Spurs guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, Barkley floated the idea that San Antonios young backcourt could grow into something reminiscent of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, a bar so high it practically comes with a warning label. The Spurs do have reasons to dream, with Victor Wembanyama anchoring a promising core and a pair of talented guards giving the franchise a new kind of upside.
For Warriors fans, the bigger issue is how casually those comparisons get made before anything has been earned. Curry and Thompson helped define an era, and matching even a slice of that success is a long way off for any young pair, no matter how much talent they show early. San Antonio also has its own roster questions to sort through as this core develops, and until those pieces settle, the new Steph and Klay talk feels more like a provocation than a prediction. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Just Lost The Lakers Threat They Feared Most
LeBron James is no longer part of the Lakers regular-season picture, and for Golden State that changes the equation in a way that is hard to ignore. The Warriors had spent years dealing with a matchup problem unlike most others, because James consistently seemed to raise his level when these teams crossed paths and gave Golden State a very specific kind of trouble on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers have already shifted their attention toward Luka Doncic in the wake of James departure, but the immediate effect for the Warriors is simpler: one fewer proven problem to game-plan around. Even if Los Angeles still has enough talent to matter, the absence of James removes the player who has so often made that rivalry feel heavier, more physical and a little more personal for Golden State. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Have Avoided A Ben Simmons Role Problem
Ben Simmons latest stop came with a familiar wrinkle, as Sacramento officially signed him and listed him as a 6-foot-10 guard, keeping the conversation around his best NBA role alive. Rich Paul has suggested Simmons could be used more like a center in pick-and-roll looks, but the Kings current roster does not appear built to make that experiment easy, which makes the fit feel a little awkward before the season even gets going.
For the Warriors, the intrigue had looked a bit different. Golden State had shown interest in Simmons and could have tried to use him as a backup point guard or a versatile forward, the kind of Swiss Army piece that sometimes finds a lane in their system. Even then, he would have had to win a preseason roster spot over Brandon Williams, so the path was never going to be automatic, and the latest Sacramento move suggests the Warriors may have sidestepped a role puzzle before it reached their own locker room. [Read more 🡒]