The Portland Trail Blazers are still banking on development, even without a rookie on the roster for the 2026-27 season. And the biggest swing in that plan may still be Scoot Henderson.
Henderson enters the final year of his rookie deal with restricted free agency coming next summer, putting real pressure on the former No. 3 overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft to keep trending upward. He may not be the player Portland expected when it drafted him, but the end of last season offered enough to suggest there’s still something to build on.
That matters because the Blazers’ backcourt is crowded, and not in a way that makes the future especially simple. Portland has four point guards who were considered starters just a few years ago, yet Henderson might still be the best bet to become the team’s long-term answer at the position.
The rest of the picture is part of what makes this tricky. Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday are both in their late 30s, while Ja Morant still comes with plenty of uncertainty even after being acquired in a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this offseason. Morant is under contract for two more years and will reach unrestricted free agency after the 2027-28 season.
Portland could also be staring at big financial decisions that summer, with Donovan Clingan and Deni Avdija both expected to command large contracts. Because of that, it’s possible the Blazers would move on from Morant before he gets the chance to land another deal.
So Henderson’s path is still open, even after all the ups and downs that have followed him. He’ll begin the upcoming season fully healthy after tearing his hamstring a year ago, and that alone changes the conversation.
In 30 games last season, Henderson showed real progress. His role was smaller than it had been in his first two years, but he still posted the highest scoring average of his career at 14.2 points per game.
That kind of production in a reduced role points to a player still pushing forward. Henderson doesn’t need to chase the version of himself people imagined on draft night; he needs to keep sharpening the one he is becoming now. That’s the approach that gives him the best shot at earning the second contract he’s chasing.
For Portland, that leaves the door open to keep investing in a player it once saw as the face of the franchise.
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Coach Micah Nori has already sounded encouraged about Morants place in the mix, pointing to the hope that the guard can be a real boost if he stays on track physically. Morant signed a five-year extension in 2022, so Portland is not just thinking about a short-term jolt here. The bigger question is how a crowded guard rotation actually settles once the season gets here, and whether the Blazers can turn all that star power into something cleaner than a logjam. [Read more 🡒]
Former Blazers Big Just Landed A Chance Portland Fans Should Watch
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For Portland, Reath's name still carries a little extra interest because his time with the Blazers came during a stretch when the team was sorting through its center rotation. He later moved on to Atlanta, but the path that got him here has been the familiar one for a player trying to carve out a role on the margins, and now Phoenix is asking him to do it again while it waits for its injured big man to get back. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Are Considering A Former First Round Wing With Real Risk
Cam Whitmore is back on the market as a name that still carries real first-round pedigree, even if his path since the 2023 draft has been anything but straightforward. The wing has bounced through roster churn and uneven opportunity, moving from the Rockets to the Wizards and then on to the Cavaliers, and Portland is now looking at him as a low-cost way to add some needed depth on the perimeter.
For the Trail Blazers, the appeal is obvious: a young wing with upside who could fit into a rebuilding roster without a major financial commitment. The risk is just as clear, though, because Whitmores recent shoulder issue and the limited run he has gotten at the NBA level leave plenty of uncertainty about how quickly he could help, if he helps at all. [Read more 🡒]