Blazers Trade Idea Sends Scoot Henderson to Thunder

The Portland Trail Blazers are likely coming to the end of the Scoot Henderson era in the Pacific Northwest.

Henderson has struggled mightily in his fourth NBA season, averaging just 8.6 points while shooting 31.3% from the field. That's far worse than he has produced in any season of his career so far, and it's possible that a change of scenery could do him some good.

A potential trade that could be looked at is sending Henderson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Nikola Topić and a second-round pick.

Why the Thunder Do It

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson dribbles the ball up court against the Sacramento Kings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Thunder are trying to salvage a season that has already gone down the drain in the first couple of weeks. Losing Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams to long-term injuries that could prevent them from seeing the floor this season is an absolute gut punch, but OKC could find a way to put a band-aid on it.

Acquiring Henderson, who will become a free agent at the end of the season, might be the solution they are looking for. While Henderson has struggled, he still has really strong upside, which could be explored if he were to arrive in OKC.

Henderson is a ceiling raiser, which is what the Thunder need to remain relevant in a competitive Western Conference.

So far this season, Nikola Topić has only played in one game for the team, and he went scoreless in the loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder are playing Topić because they really have no other options given their injuries, but he might not be the player that they are looking for. The Thunder can bring in Henderson as a secondary playmaker to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and that could give them the boost they need.

Why the Blazers Do It

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic dribbles the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard/forward Gradey Dick. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A trade like this would give the Blazers some fresh blood in the backcourt in the form of Topić, who has also struggled to live up to his pre-draft hype. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has been through a lot in his brief career. In his first professional season in the NBA, Topić was recovering from a torn ACL. The following year, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and only played in 10 games for the team.

Topić's fourth-year option on his contract has already been declined for the 2027-28 season, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Blazers could use this season as a trial run to see whether Topić has the goods to stick around in Portland, or they could simply move on from him at the end of the season.

The upside, along with the flexibility to move on from him next year, makes a lot of sense for Portland in terms of their roster construction.

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