NBA Notes: Warriors, Blazers, Scoot Henderson, Sixers, Paul George

Warriors

The Warriors already handled one major offseason priority by extending coach Steve Kerr for two more years.

Now comes the harder part. Actually fixing the roster.

While general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. previously expressed confidence in Golden State’s overall talent level, Kerr sounded far less interested in pretending the Warriors remain true title contenders as currently constructed.

“We can’t legitimately look at our roster … and say we are a championship contender right now,” Kerr admitted.

That’s about as blunt as you’ll hear from him publicly.

Kerr added that the organization needs “personnel moves” and a broader rethink of how things are operating moving forward.

According to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, Draymond Green remains likely to return, while the futures of Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis are less certain.

Meanwhile, young center Quinten Post appears far from guaranteed a consistent role moving forward after falling in and out of the rotation throughout the season.

Bottom line: Golden State knows the clock is ticking.

Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers still don’t fully know what they have in Scoot Henderson. And honestly, that’s a problem.

Henderson entered this season expected to firmly establish himself as Portland’s long-term answer at point guard before a preseason hamstring injury completely derailed things. He ultimately appeared in only 30 games and never fully gained traction.

There were flashes, especially during Portland’s playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. But league evaluators still seem divided on Henderson’s long-term ceiling.

“He has intangibles that you can’t teach,” one scout told Oregon Live. “But he has to learn to use them in an NBA game.”

The biggest concerns remain his shooting consistency and ability to finish against NBA size and physicality.

Portland’s entire offseason already feels unstable with new owner Tom Dundon taking over and a coaching search underway.

Now Henderson’s development becomes one of the biggest questions hanging over the franchise too.

76ers

Paul George believes this offseason could finally give him something he hasn’t had in years: A normal summer.

After injuries and a 25-game suspension limited him to just 37 appearances this past season, George said he’s healthy entering the offseason and eager to fully focus on improving his game again.

“It’s been stagnant the last couple years because of a surgery here or a surgery there,” George said, via Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The bigger-picture questions around the Philadelphia 76ers remain much larger, though.

Cap analyst Yossi Gozlan recently explored whether Philadelphia could realistically move either Joel Embiid or George this offseason, while also projecting possible new deals for free agents such as Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond.

In other words, the Sixers still have a lot of roster questions to answer after another disappointing postseason exit.