Blazers May Need to Choose Between Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons

Will second-year Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson deliver on the All-Star expectations placed upon him when he was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft?

Henderson struggled through an injury-plagued, inconsistent 2023-24 debut NBA season with Portland and was relegated to a permanent bench role behind Anfernee Simons in 2024-25. Simons, who had been head coach Chauncey Billups' starting shooting guard in years prior, was shifted to a starting point guard role this season.

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To hear Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tell it, newly extended Portland general manager Joe Cronin may have to choose between Henderson and Simons going forward.

Simons, 25, will be on an expiring $27.7 million contract in 2025-26 and will be eligible for a contract extension. Alternately, the Trail Blazers could opt to flip him before he reaches unrestricted free agency next summer.

"That all could depend on Henderson’s growth next season. If he becomes worthy of being the full-time starter, it would be time to move Simons. Maybe by the trade deadline," writes Fentress. "If not, then the Blazers might have to re-sign Simons to a lucrative extension and then make a decision regarding Henderson’s future," Fentress writes.

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After a disappointing rookie year, the 21-year-old Henderson logged some real moments in the league this past season. In a surprise 114-113 overtime win against the New York Knicks (who suddenly look lethal in this year's playoffs, up 2-0 on the road against the Boston Celtics), Henderson scored a whopping 30 points while shooting 10-of-16 from the floor (4-of-4 from distance) and 6-of-10 from the foul line.

20 of those Henderson points were scored in the contest's fourth quarter and overtime frames. He also chipped in three rebounds and two assists. Simons, meanwhile, scored six points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Scoot Henderson 30 PTS on 10/16 FG

(20 in the fourth + OT) pic.twitter.com/I5w4K6W6ts
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) March 13, 2025

Still, Simons was by far the better player for the 36-46 Trail Blazers last season. Across 70 healthy games, the 6-foot-3 pro averaged 19.3 points on .426/.363/.902 shooting splits, 4.8 assists and 2.7 boards a night.

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