Shaedon Sharpe is one of the bright young hopes for the Portland Trail Blazers. His 18.5 points per game last season made him Portland’s second-leading scorer. He was first on the team in points per minute and possession. It was a step forward for the third-year shooting guard, once considered an enigma but now coming […]
Shaedon Sharpe is one of the bright young hopes for the Portland Trail Blazers. His 18.5 points per game last season made him Portland’s second-leading scorer. He was first on the team in points per minute and possession. It was a step forward for the third-year shooting guard, once considered an enigma but now coming into his own.
As Sharpe’s game is opening up, so too are his contract possibilities. Next summer he will be eligible for restricted free agency, presuming the Blazers make a qualifying offer to earn the right to retain him. That’s a near-certainty barring a trade. Another option presents itself, though. Sharpe and the Blazers could agree to a preemptive contract extension, keeping him in the fold without hitting the open market and fielding offers from other teams.
John Hollinger of The Athletic recently published an article [subscription required] looking at the realistic values of NBA players in Sharpe’s situation. His assessment of Sharpe was modest, to say the least. He ranked Sharpe in the third tier of potential signees, alongside players like Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, Benedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers, and the Detroit Pistons’ Jaden Ivey.
Of Sharpe, Hollinger said:
Sharpe’s highlights are jaw-dropping, but the overall production is much more ordinary. BORD$ has a $14.2 million valuation, basically the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, and that feels about right. Sharpe hasn’t proven he’s a long-term starter , with the Blazers’ second-half surge last season coming after he was replaced in Portland’s starting five.
Is Sharpe willing to take a deal for MLE-type money right now? I’m guessing he’d rather see if he can break out in 2025-26 and earn a bigger payday. On the team side, I don’t see an incentive for the Blazers to go much beyond four years and $60 million to $65 million, although their money situation leaves the door open for a Deni Avdija-style front-loaded deal. The Blazers’ future cap situation also offers some insulation the other way, however , as they won’t be scared off by a toxic offer sheet next summer if Sharpe erupts in his fourth season. While I can imagine some theoretical middle ground, I have a much easier time seeing this one drag into next summer.
This could be looked at in one of two ways. It’s not complimentary towards Sharpe himself, but that same reserve could also indicate that re-signing Sharpe may not be prohibitively expensive for the Blazers, which would be welcome news.
What do you think? Is Hollinger’s valuation of Sharpe too low? How motivated would you be to ink him to an extension early? Share in the comments section below.
Category: General Sports
