The Portland Trail Blazers have been a mainstay in the news cycle lately with all of the trade rumors surrounding the team. Most of the stories and reports are based around Damian Lillard and what he will do in the near future, but there was apparently a short trade discussion that involved the newest member of the team in Scoot Henderson.
Blazers And Clippers Discussed A Henderson-For-Paul Trade
The Blazers briefly discussed a Scoot Henderson for Paul George swap, per @HowardBeck
No trade materialized pic.twitter.com/uAGnOd0eAq
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 27, 2023
There have been rumors floating for years about Lillard’s potential departure from Portland, and those reports have been at their loudest this off-season. The Blazers found themselves in an interesting spot, with an aging but valuable commodity on their roster, but also held the #3 overall pick in a top-heavy draft.
It was unclear which direction that the Blazers were heading in, but it felt like if Lillard was going to be traded, it would have been in the days leading up to the 2023 Draft.
But the team stood strong, holding onto their star player (for now) while selecting athletic guard Scoot Henderson with the third pick.
Portland Holding Onto Lillard…For Now
Damian Lillard hasn’t requested a trade and plans to ‘wait around’ to see what Portland does in free agency, per @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/pESJAVbu9l
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 27, 2023
There are still rumors of a trade involving Lillard, as there is still plenty of off-season to come. But according to Howard Beck of GQ Sports, Portland almost made a trade of a different kind in the hours following the draft.
In his article previewing the NBA’s free agency period, Beck goes into detail about Lillard’s situation and the lack of a trade coming to fruition, but throws in an interesting snippet about the new draftee. He says that the Blazers and Clippers had briefly discussed swapping Henderson for Paul George, a move that would be thought to be beneficial for both sides.
One Western Conference executive weighed in on the situation:
“If they really were set on giving up Scoot, they could have gotten a really good return. I just don’t think they were committed enough to do it.”
Henderson is obviously considered one of the best players in his draft class, but it is surprising to see teams involve him in trade talks for established NBA stars so early on.
There should be more action around the league towards the end of the week, as free agency is set to being on June 30th.
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