Even with the team's lack of success in recent years, Damian Lillard remained loyal to and had been the face of the Portland Trail Blazers ever since they drafted him in 2012. That finally changed this offseason, though, as Lillard requested a trade after 11 years in Portland.
Lillard's request and the drama that ensued throughout the summer was the key headline of the NBA offseason, especially given how talented of a player he is. At 33-years old, Dame is still in the prime of his career and recently averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game in 58 games last season.
Due to his frustrations with the organization's lack of success taking over and not seeing a path forward, Lillard looked to be traded to the Miami Heat, who are coming off yet another run to the NBA Finals. This request to only go to Miami was not met with a warm embrace by Blazers GM Joe Cronin and their front office, which led to a series of ongoing nothingness regarding trade talks.
The Heat made their offer and were standing firm on it due to Lillard only wanting to go to South Beach, yet the Trail Blazers continued to demand more value. Summer League passed in July and there was no traction on any trade involving the seven-time All-Star. Then the month of August came and gone, as did the start of September.
With training camp right around the corner, the Blazers began to once again revisit trade talks around the league, gauging interest from any other teams besides the Heat, as Cronin reportedly had zero interest in sending Lillard to Miami.
Despite claiming he only wanted to play for the Heat, there were a couple of other teams that popped up on Lillard's list, one of which was the Milwaukee Bucks. On Sept. 27, the Bucks were the ones that won the Dame sweepstakes, as the superstar guard was traded to Milwaukee and will now embark on a championship pursuit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
For the Blazers, a new era begins, one that was thought to feature a rebuild to kick-start things, but that no longer appears to be the case.
Believe it or not, Portland did really well for themselves in this Lillard trade, as they were able to turn the superstar into future draft compensation and a few players who can be instant contributors to any team in this league. Deandre Ayton, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III are all new faces on the Blazers roster as a result of this Dame trade, setting up what appears to be a bright future for one of the league's most under the radar organizations.
Blazers offseason additions and departures
Additions: C Deandre Ayton (trade – PHX), G Malcolm Brogdon (trade – BOS), C Robert Williams III (trade – BOS), G Scoot Henderson (draft), F Kris Murray (draft), G Rayan Rupert (draft), F Toumani Camara (trade – PHX),
Departures: G Damian Lillard (trade – MIL), C Jusuf Nurkic (trade – PHX), F Nassir Little (trade – PHX), F Cam Reddish (free agency – LAL), C Drew Eubanks (free agency – PHX)
This was quite an offseason for the Blazers, as change happened up and down their roster. While Lillard was not traded until late-September, this new era for Portland really began on draft night when they ended up keeping the third overall selection in order to take Scoot Henderson.
Arguably the top pick in any other draft class, Henderson enters the NBA as a high-level and springy guard who makes really sound decisions with the ball in his hands. Explosiveness and swag are the two words that come to mind when watching Scoot play, as he has a chance to follow in the footsteps of Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant, two NBA superstars who have helped redefine the point guard position with their athleticism.
Without even playing in an actual regular-season game yet, Henderson already has the respect of all of his teammates. In fact, he even has his head coach Chauncey Billups envisioning what he could be like a few years from now.
“Scoot is going to be a star in this league,” Billups told Steve Aschburner from NBA.com recently. “He plays both sides of the floor with ferocity. He is very, very driven. He’s a playmaker, he’s a real point guard. Got some leadership about him. He looks like he’s the starting safety of the Denver Broncos. He’s going to be an exciting player for the whole world to watch but our fan base, they can rest assured they’ll be entertained.”
Coming from someone who was one of the best guards of his era and won a championship, this is certainly very high praise from Billups. With the whole organization backing him, Scoot should be able to find success right away, following in Lillard's footsteps.
To help him settle into the league, Henderson will have plenty of help from some of the Blazers' other offseason additions. As mentioned earlier, Ayton, Brogdon, and Williams are all new faces in Portland stemming from the Lillard trade. In addition to dealing Dame to Milwaukee, the Blazers also sent Jusuf Nurkic, Keon Johnson, and Nassir Little to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Ayton and Toumani Camara, a second-round pick from this past summer's draft.
Ayton, a big-bodied center who has shown flashes of his All-Star-like potential with the Suns, will be an instant upgrade from Nurkic for the Blazers on both ends of the floor. He's happy to be in Portland and can be one of the leaders of this young core. The best part about Ayton is the fact that he is still just 25-years old.
For Brogdon, he is coming off of a season in which he won the Sixth Man of the Year award with the Boston Celtics. A smart, experienced guard who is comfortable in any role his team needs, Brogdon will be a key veteran voice for Henderson as he begins his rookie season.
The addition of Williams has flown under the radar this offseason due to the fact that the former Celtics big man has been injured and Portland added Ayton. In terms of shot-blocking potential, Williams sits at the top of the league-wide list and can be a terrific frontcourt addition for this team to have alongside Ayton on the floor at the same time.
Also re-signing veteran forward Jerami Grant this offseason, the Blazers are actually in a really good spot as a franchise. There are no longer questions being asked about Lillard's future and they can finally begin to build what they believe can be a sustainable and success core group for many years to come.
Scoot Henderson's Rookie of the Year campaign begins
Anfernee Simons is still around, as is Jerami Grant, but the key to success for the Blazers lies within Scoot Henderson's ability to make an impact right away during his rookie season. With Dame gone, Scoot is now the player everyone is watching in Portland, especially since he was the third overall pick in this year's draft.
At 19-years old, Henderson will be the team's starting point guard on opening night and he enters the 2023-24 season with high Rookie of the Year aspirations. A strong guard who is able to use his size and explosiveness to score at the rim on offense, Scoot is not getting as much attention as he should with Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren dominating headlines.
This battle between the two rookie big men may just be the best thing for Henderson. Not only is the spotlight on them, but he tends to thrive in an underdog role when people are doubting him. Added motivation and playing with a chip on his shoulder only makes Henderson more of a threat to contend for the Rookie of the Year honors.
Perhaps the greatest advantage Henderson has regarding the Rookie of the Year race is the fact that Chauncey Billups is his head coach. Billups, who was also drafted third overall in the 1997 draft, can relate to Henderson in more ways than people would imagine.
Not only is he going to supply his rookie with confidence every single night, but Billups is going to be able to challenge Scoot in ways other coaches aren't able to with their players simply because of his playing experience.
The lessons and real experiences Billups can share with Henderson and the time they are going to spend breaking down film will be invaluable to the rookie's immediate growth. This is why he has a chance to make an instant impact and emerge as the best rookie in the league over the course of the first handful of weeks this upcoming season.
Aside from Billups, Henderson also has seasoned veterans in Malcolm Brogdon and Grant to learn from. Both players have been around the block and they know what it takes to succeed. Brogdon, who recently won the league's Sixth Man of the Year award, will be a key mentor for the rookie, especially since the former Boston Celtic has always been known to control the pace of play.
In ClutchPoints' recent preseason media poll, Henderson did receive some attention for the Rookie of the Year award, as he received 12 percent of the vote, trailing both Wembanyama and Holmgren. The media and league personnel are fully aware of Scoot's potential, which is why he enters the new season as a player to watch.
All the potential is there for Henderson to become the next best thing in Portland. Whether he is able to win the Rookie of the Year award or not, he is going to be a focal point for this organization for many years to come.
2023-24 season outlook
When Damian Lillard first requested a trade from the Blazers, many began to assume this franchise would head towards a rebuild and look to start over with a handful of youthful talents and any draft picks they got back in a potential trade.
Anfernee Simons has grown into a solid playmaker who can get hot from the perimeter and Shaedon Sharpe is another youthful project the Trail Blazers are extremely high on. It would take time, but the expectation early on this summer was that Portland would eventually find their footing in the Western Conference once their youth gained experience.
The narrative surrounding this team has completely flipped since the Lillard trade, as the Blazers may not need to go through any type of rebuild. A new era has begun in Portland and it is one that may very well be dominated by depth. Sure, they still have a handful of youthful talents and the three rookies they added through the draft in Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert are all going to face learning curves, some more than others. The same can be said regarding Toumani Camara, a second-round pick the Blazers got from the Suns in the Deandre Ayton-Jusuf Nurkic trade.
The fact of the matter is that this offseason was not just about the Damian Lillard trade for the Trail Blazers. There was the Malcolm Brogdon trade, there was the Deandre Ayton trade, there was the Robert Williams III trade. All three of these experienced talents are going to make a difference on and off the court for the Blazers and they round out this roster's overall depth.
Billups and his staff are going to be able to enter any game with confidence given the firepower in the starting unit. Better yet, they are going to be a tough team to guard because of their athleticism, length, and the fact that there is not one de facto star.
Henderson may be “the guy” some nights, then Grant may wind up being the leading scorer another night. With Ayton, Brogdon, and even Simons getting in the mix as well, the Trail Blazers have various options to turn to.
They are by no means going to be a real threat in the Western Conference, but the Blazers are going to be competitive and it's not hard to believe they will be better off without Dame. Do not be shocked if Portland is in the play-in tournament mix by the end of the 2023-24 season.
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