Heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, all intrigue began at the No. 2 spot, where the Charlotte Hornets‘ decision between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson would dictate what the Portland Trail Blazers did at No. 3. 

The Hornets took Miller. As far as the Blazers, who coveted Henderson, were concerned, it was a gift. Had Charlotte taken Henderson, perhaps Portland would’ve transitioned harder into trade mode with Miller as it aims to put a contending roster around Damian Lillard. 

But Henderson, in the opinion of Portland GM Joe Cronin, was, and is, simply too good to give up, which surely comes as a disappointment to Blazers fans who have long been clamoring for the proverbial “all-in” move Cronin has long been hinting at being ready to make, and saw Henderson as the blue-chip asset to make that happen. 

“I would say we made the biggest move possible by drafting Scoot Henderson,” Cronin said, via Jason Quick of The Athletic. “He’s going to be better than any player that would maybe be perceived as that big move. And then you start to factor in other things that matter in this league — the salary cap, (Henderson) on a rookie scale — that allows us to build a lot more depth than we would have been able to otherwise.”

Many would agree with Cronin. Henderson is widely regarded as a No. 1 overall talent who just so happens to have come along at the same time as one of the greatest prospects ever in Victor Wembanyama. That a player of that caliber, a potentially generational guy, fell to the Blazers at No. 3 is a major stroke of luck. 

Personally, I’m of the opinion that Charlotte absolutely butchered this decision by choosing Miller because he “fits” better alongside LaMelo Ball. Remember when the Golden State Warriors took James Wiseman at No. 2 overall in 2020 over Ball because he filled a “need” as a big man on a small team? How’d that work out? 

“You draft best player possible,” Cronin said, “then figure it out.”

Now comes the figuring it out part. The Blazers can still trade Henderson. Whatever offers were out there on draft night weren’t enough for Cronin to part with Henderson, whom he believes “has a chance to be a transcendent player in this league,” but that’s just a starting point. Free agency begins in a week. Portland is going to be aggressive in at least trying to put a contender on the floor. 

My guess is they want to do that with Lillard and Henderson together, likely making Anfernee Simons and future draft capital the core of any outgoing package in a potential deal. 

(For Portland to be able to trade multiple future picks, however, they would have to remove protections from the 2024 first-round pick they owe to Chicago, which is lottery protected through 2028 and thus jams up Portland’s options via the Stepien Rule.)

If that route doesn’t net a return that the Blazers, and Lillard, think makes them a real contender, fire up the Dame trade machine, because it’s going to get hot. They could move Lillard this summer. They could move him at the trade deadline. Either way, the feeling I’m getting is they will move Lillard before they move Scoot Henderson, and I agree with that assessment. 

It is a long shot that Portland has the goods to bring back a package that makes them a contender without giving up Henderson, and I agree with Cronin on that front. Henderson is just too good to give up for what would still be a super long shot at winning a title.