Scoot Henderson to Wear No. 00 with Blazers: 'Obviously 0 Is Taken' by Damian Lillard
After going third overall in Thursday's 2023 NBA draft, guard Scoot Henderson announced Saturday that he will wear jersey No. 00 for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Per Bill Oram of the Oregonian, Henderson explained his decision by saying: "I looked at the roster and obviously zero is taken."
Henderson's comment was in reference to seven-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who wears No. 0 for the Blazers.
While playing last season for G League Ignite, Henderson wore No. 0 and averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Leading up to the draft, there was plenty of speculation regarding the Blazers possibly trading the No. 3 overall pick in a deal for an established star player due to Lillard's desire to chase a championship.
Instead, the Blazers took the 19-year-old Henderson after France's Victor Wembanyama went first overall to the San Antonio Spurs and Alabama forward Brandon Miller went second to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Athletic's Jason Quick reported in April that Lillard wanted the Blazers to add veterans who could help them contend rather than developing young players.
Lillard has not publicly asked for a trade since the Blazers drafted Henderson rather than trading the pick, but SPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Real GM) reported that Portland will likely accommodate Lillard's trade request if he makes one.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio after getting drafted, Henderson expressed hope that Lillard will remain in Portland:
Henderson also said he sent Lillard a direct message on Instagram after he was selected, and Lillard responded.
Even with Lillard averaging a career-high 32.2 points per game last season, the Blazers went 33-49 and missed the playoffs, marking their second straight year out of the playoffs after previously making the postseason in eight consecutive years.
Henderson has immense potential, but adding him to what Portland already has without making other moves likely won't be enough to make the Blazers strong contenders in the Western Conference next season.
If that leads to Lillard asking for a trade, No. 0 could open up for Henderson, and he will likely be the main piece that Portland builds around moving forward.
