3-Team Trade Idea Sends Explosive Guard To Grizzlies, Two-Way Forward To Blazers

The Trail Blazers couldn’t have started the season much better. They’re 6-2, sitting at the top of the Western Conference, and already look like one of the most complete teams in the league . Damian Lillard is back, Deni Avdija has taken another jump, Ja Morant was playing well before getting hurt , and Portland suddenly has enough talent to think beyond just making the playoffs. Still, an 82-game season is different, and this team could probably use one more high-level wing before putting itself in the same group as the true contenders. That’s where the Pelicans come in. New Orleans hasn’t looked nearly as convincing, and while they’ve recovered from an ugly 0-4 start, they’re still sitting in the lower half of the West. Trey Murphy III remains one of their most valuable players, but his role has clearly dropped from last season. With Zion Williamson , Dejounte Murray, Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Bennedict Mathurin all needing touches, Murphy isn’t getting the same volume anymore, which makes his situation worth watching. Portland also has an obvious trade piece in Scoot Henderson . The Blazers already have Lillard, Jrue Holiday , and Morant in the backcourt, while Avdija handles plenty of possessions too. Scoot is only 22, but there just isn’t a clear path for him to get the type of role a former No. 3 pick normally needs to develop. That makes him the natural young player to move if Portland wants to turn some of its guard depth into a better fit on the wing. The third team here would be the Grizzlies , who are also off to a surprisingly strong start. Memphis is 6-2, Cameron Boozer already looks like a long-term building block, and Ty Jerome has somehow turned into an early MVP-level story while averaging 27.4 points and 5.3 assists. The Grizzlies are young, competitive, and still in a position where taking another swing on a player like Scoot makes a lot of sense.   The Trade Proposal Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Trey Murphy III Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Scoot Henderson New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Taylor Hendricks, Micah Potter, Branden Carlson, 2027 first-round pick via Blazers, 2028 first-round pick via Magic, and 2031 first-round pick via Blazers Portland sends Henderson at $13.6 million, Micah Potter at roughly $2.8 million, Branden Carlson at around $2.4 million, and three first-round picks. In return, the Blazers get Murphy at $27.0 million this season, with $29.0 million in 2027-28, and $31.0 million in 2028-29. The real price is obviously the draft capital, but Portland would be turning one young guard who doesn’t have a clear role into a wing who fits the current roster almost perfectly. Memphis keeps its side much simpler. The Grizzlies move Taylor Hendricks, who is making around $7.8 million, and bring in Henderson. Hendricks was also a lottery pick in 2023, but he’s barely played this season and is stuck behind several other forwards. For New Orleans, the package is built around the three first-rounders, with Hendricks as the young development piece, and Potter and Carlson as cheap depth.   Why The Blazers Should Make This Move Portland is already playing great basketball, so this isn’t about fixing them. The Blazers have the No. 1 offensive rating in the NBA at 122.3, a 111.1 defensive rating that ranks 12th, and the best net rating in the league at +11.2. They’re also scoring 121.9 points per game, and they’re taking more than 43 threes per night. The offense is already great, but there’s still room to improve the overall balance of the lineup. The three-point efficiency is one area where Murphy helps right away . Portland is shooting around 35.5% from deep despite taking a massive volume, and several of its key players are below league average. Murphy is shooting 38.5% from three this season after hitting 37.9% last year, and he’s already proven he can handle much more volume. Last season, he averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while making 3.2 threes per game. His numbers are down to 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season, but that’s mostly because his role has changed. Murphy is taking 11.0 shots per game after taking 15.9 last year, and his three-point attempts have dropped too. The biggest reason the fit makes sense is his off-ball production. Murphy doesn’t need to control the ball to be effective, so he can run the floor, space the court, attack closeouts, defend everybody, and score in the flow of the offense. A lineup with Morant, Murphy, Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan would have a lot of size, defense, and shooting without forcing anyone into an awkward role. Scoot’s situation is basically the opposite. He’s averaging just 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 22.0 minutes while shooting 32.8% from the field and 20.0% from three. Those numbers can improve, but Portland still has the same problem even if they do. Henderson needs on-ball reps, and the Blazers already have too many players ahead of him in that area. Moving him isn’t about giving up on his talent as much as admitting that his role doesn’t fit the roster anymore. Three first-round picks is still a massive price, but New Orleans has reportedly asked for exactly that level of return for Murphy. Marc Stein reported that the Pelicans viewed three first-rounders as the starting point for serious talks , while Herb Jones was valued around two. Portland would be paying a premium, but Murphy is only 26, under contract through 2028-29, and gives the Blazers one of the hardest player types to find in the league.   Why The Grizzlies Should Take A Chance On Scoot Memphis has the easiest decision here because the Grizzlies aren’t giving up any premium draft capital. Hendricks is still young, but he has barely been part of the rotation this season, playing only a few minutes across three games. Memphis already has Boozer, Jerami Grant, GG Jackson, and several other forwards competing for minutes, so Hendricks simply doesn’t have a clear role right now. Scoot gives them something completely different. He’s still only 22, and even though his start this season has been rough, he averaged 14.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists last year while shooting 35.2% from three. That’s not star production, but it’s enough to show that there’s still something worth developing. Memphis would be buying him at a point where his trade value is probably as low as it’s ever been. The Grizzlies also don’t need him to come in and save anything. They’re already 6-2 with a top-five offense, a top-five defense, and one of the best net ratings in the league. Boozer is averaging 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists as a rookie, while Jerome has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. Henderson could come off the bench, play against second units, and get on-ball reps without carrying the pressure he had in Portland. For Memphis, the trade is basically a low-risk upside play . Hendricks isn’t playing, Scoot is still extremely young, and the Grizzlies can afford to be patient. If Henderson turns into a solid 15-point, five-assist guard who can eventually play next to Boozer, that’s already a strong result. If he doesn’t, Memphis didn’t give up anything close to a core asset to find out.   Why The Pelicans Should Consider Selling High On Murphy New Orleans has the hardest decision because Murphy is easily the best player moving in this trade. He’s 26, he’s under contract for three more seasons, he can shoot, defend, and score without the ball, and those are exactly the types of players teams usually try to keep. The Pelicans also aren’t in a position where they need to dump him just to get something back before free agency. The question is whether this roster is actually good enough to justify keeping every piece. New Orleans has played better after a rough start, but they’re still stuck as 10th of the West, and their defense has been one of the weaker units in the league. At the same time, Murphy is getting fewer shots because Fears, Queen, Zion, Murray, and Mathurin are all taking on larger offensive roles. If his usage is going to stay lower anyway, the Pelicans have to at least think about what his trade value could bring back. This package gives them the price they’ve reportedly wanted. Hendricks is still only 22 and gives New Orleans another former lottery pick to develop, while the real return is the 2027 Portland first, the 2028 Orlando first, and the 2031 Portland first. That gives the Pelicans three shots at adding young talent later or using those picks in another trade. Those Portland picks also carry some real uncertainty. The Blazers look excellent now, but Lillard and Holiday are already 36, and Morant has had availability issues before. Nobody knows what Portland will look like in 2031, and that’s exactly why distant first-round picks can become so valuable. If New Orleans believes its current roster still needs another major reshaping, cashing in Murphy at peak value could make sense.   This Deal Gives All Three Teams Something They Need Portland takes the biggest risk, but the Blazers also get the best player and the cleanest roster fit. They turn an overcrowded backcourt into a 26-year-old wing who can shoot, defend, and play without the ball. Memphis gets a cheap chance to rebuild Henderson’s value without giving up any important future asset, while New Orleans gets the massive draft package it has reportedly wanted for Murphy. The trade really comes down to whether Portland believes this 6-1 start is something real. If the Blazers think they’re already close enough to compete with the best teams in the West, Murphy is exactly the type of player worth targeting. He wouldn’t need to change the offense, he’d fit next to almost every important player on the roster, and he’d give Portland another playoff-ready wing without adding another ball-dominant scorer. Three first-round picks is expensive, and there’s no way around that. But if Portland wants to turn a great start into a serious push, this is the type of aggressive move that actually makes sense.