The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to make moves over the next few weeks as they strive to continue their rise up the Western Conference standings. To make sizeable changes, General Manager Joe Cronin will need to part with real assets in order to bring back difference makers.<\/p>\n
The Blazers have finally completed their pick obligation to the Chicago Bulls and now own both their own future draft assets as well as valuable picks and swaps from the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. But players will also be needed to seal deals with trade partners seeking young players with upside.<\/p>\n
During the Blazers\u2019 rebuild, they\u2019ve made three lottery picks, Shaedon Sharpe in 2022, Scoot Henderson in 2023 and Donovan Clingan in 2024. Of the three, Clingan appears to have established himself as the franchise\u2019s big man of the future, solidifying the role this past season via elite defense and intriguing offensive tools.<\/p>\n
Sharpe and Henderson have enjoyed nice moments but currently carry less convincing NBA reputations with injury and inconsistency hindering each\u2019s ability to stamp a permanent place on the Blazers roster.<\/p>\n
With the franchise\u2019s new ownership keen to improve, the pair are appearing in more trade rumors. Sharpe, who\u2019s about to start his rookie extension, is earning trade-friendly money while Henderson enters his extension-eligible offseason before restricted free agency in 2027.<\/p>\n
Sharpe is earning roughly $6.5 million more than Henderson after July 1, so the pair are relatively interchangeable when considering contracts to be added to a bigger deal.<\/p>\n
But which player should the Blazers prioritize?<\/p>\n
Age: 23
Position: Wing
Draft: 7th, 2022
Career stats: 234 games, 15.7 points, 33.2% 3pt, 45.2% FG, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.9 turnovers
Remaining contract: four years, $90 million<\/p>\n
Sharpe\u2019s four year, $90 million extension kicks in next season. The amount is perfectly tradeable but also won\u2019t hurt the Blazers\u2019 bottom line if he continues to be this roster\u2019s longest-serving player, outside Damian Lillard.<\/p>\n
We all know about Sharpe\u2019s athletic prowess but before he was injured late last season, the Canadian began to string together consecutive games where he took a prime role on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, he returned to the court on the eve of the Play-In tournament, reverting to his old lackadaisical defensive habits.<\/p>\n
It appears defense will end up being Sharpe\u2019s cross to bear despite his impressive measurements, standing 6\u20196 combined with a near 7-foot wingspan, not to mention otherworldly athleticism. It\u2019s also those physical gifts that give me hope in him figuring it out, one day being able to guard positions one-through-three.<\/p>\n
On offense, Sharpe\u2019s ceiling is still a starting wing on a really good team. His three-point shot isn\u2019t where most of us would want it to be but the mechanics are fine and with continued play should be able to get to average splits.<\/p>\n
His size and ability also mean he will be able to serve across both the two and the three. Sharpe\u2019s strength is his scoring at the rim and in the midrange. Last season, he was a handy 68.8 percent at the rim and with improved health, there\u2019s nothing stopping him from boosting those numbers further.<\/p>\n
I know there are a lot of \u201cifs\u201d still to be decided, but I see Sharpe as an efficient 20-plus point a game scorer who, if he decides he wants it, can be at least a decent defender in the backcourt and against mid-sized wings.<\/p>\n
Age: 22
Position: Point guard
Draft: 3rd, 2023
Career stats: 158 games, 13.5 points, 34.3% 3pt, 40.4% FG, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.9 turnovers
Remaining contract: one year, $13.6 million (extension eligible)<\/p>\n