The Portland Trail Blazers are at a crossroads after Damian Lillard’s trade request. He only wants to be dealt to the Miami Heat, but the Blazers need to maximize the return. It will likely take a third or fourth team for both sides to get what they want, and that is why things have been so slow coming together.
Portland drafted Scoot Henderson second overall, and the 19-year-old projects to be a superstar. It will take time, but the Blazers could be back in contention with a new point guard in short order. They must maximize their return for Lillard and build the roster around Scoot. It is a shift in focus the franchise should already have made.
Portland has just 12 players under contract, and they need to maximize the long-term potential of their roster moving forward. Who is making too much? Do they have players that are earning less than they should? Here is a look at the best and worst values currently on their roster.
3 Overpaid Portland Trail Blazers, 3 underpaid for the 2023-24 season
Overpaid: Nassir Little
Little signed a four-year $28 million extension at the start of the 2022-23 season. He averaged 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game the previous year as a 21-year-old, and it seemed like it would be a bargain contract for the Blazers.
One year later, Little took a massive step back. His minutes and production declined as the 6’5 wing posted a negative value over replacement player (VORP) and a 0.032 win shares per 48 minutes, which is well below the league average of 0.100.
The extension begins this season with Little under contract until 2027. Last year’s 54 games were a career-high, and he is averaging just 17.1 minutes a night through his first four seasons. Will Portland regret giving him a long-term deal?
Nassir Little looks slightly overpaid going into the 2023-24 season, but the 23-year-old could flip the narrative with a bounce-back or breakthrough season. His production is something to watch closely.
Underpaid: Damian Lillard
The NBA created the maximum salary to keep teams from offering star players the majority of their cap space. In theory, that means the best talent in the league is underpaid. LeBron James is likely making the Lakers significantly more money than they pay him each year.
Lillard still falls into that category. He was voted third-team All-NBA last season and is about to be the tenth-highest-paid player in the game. There is no need to debate whether Lillard is better or worse than the top earners because it does not impact his standing.
Dame just averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 36.3 minutes per game, while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 37.1 percent on his threes, and 91.4 percent from the foul line. Those are elite numbers and even better when considering that Lillard is the top name to stop on every team’s scouting report when facing Portland.
Fans hear teams are worried about the backend of Lillard’s current contract in trade negotiations, but he is a superstar. They are the hardest players to acquire and the biggest difference-makers. Damian Lillard makes $45.6 million in the 2023-24 season, but he would make more on the open market if there was no salary cap or collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Overpaid: Jerami Grant
Grant received a massive five-year $160 million contract from the Trail Blazers this summer, which is set to pay him $27.5 million in year one. It is a $6.5 million raise from what he earned last season and has a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season.
Many viewed it as a shocking contract and a massive overpay for the 29-year-old. The Athletic’s John Hollinger projected him (subscription required) to get $18.5 million per season before the agreement was reached, but his deal has an average annual value (AAV) of $32 million.
The Trail Blazers were doing whatever they could to keep Damian Lillard happy, and it was not enough. If the seven-time All-Star gets traded this offseason, Grant’s deal will look even worse on Portland’s cap sheet over the next five years.
There is some worry about the backend of the contract as Grant will be 33 in the final year if he opts in. Jerami Grant is a productive role player that teams value, but this could be viewed like the Tobias Harris contract in Philadelphia in a few years.
Will the Portland Trail Blazers look to trade him if a Damian Lillard gets shipped out of Portland? It could be in the team’s best interest if they decide to enter a full rebuild.
Underpaid: Shaedon Sharpe
Sharpe enters his second NBA season ready to prove that the final ten games of his rookie season were no fluke. The 20-year-old played well in year one, but he did not get a serious chance to start until the end of the season.
Sharpe showed why he was the seventh overall pick by averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.9 steals in 35.9 minutes per game, while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 37.8 percent on his threes.
The 6’6 wing has a ton of potential, and the Trail Blazers believe he will eventually transform into an All-Star. Sharpe must improve on both ends of the floor, but he was a project coming out of the draft. The teenager did not play college basketball, despite enrolling at Kentucky. It was not surprising to see him get off to a bit of a slow start in the NBA before coming on down the stretch.
Shaedon Sharpe is set to make $6.3 million next season as part of his rookie deal. Every team in the league would love to have the 20-year-old wing at that number. He may not fully break out in year two, but the Portland Trail Blazers hope for positive growth. Sharpe is still years away from his prime and will be a bargain for three more years if he keeps improving.
Overpaid: Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic was a difference-maker for the Blazers when he arrived in 2017, but he has not been the same since breaking his leg in 2019. The 6’11 big man missed Portland’s run to the conference finals and has struggled to stay healthy since. He averaged 38.2 games per season over the last four and has not played more than 56 times.
Nurkic is entering the second season of a four-year deal that is set to pay him $70 million in total. He makes $16.8 million this year, and the 28-year-old’s salary increases each season until he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
The Portland Trail Blazers are hoping to offload Nurkic’s contract in a trade, and their best bet is to tie him to Damian Lillard. The problem is that leaves $62.5 million in salary for a team to match. That is a hefty sum and one that will be tough to equal without Portland taking back some negative deals from other teams.
The Blazers cannot count on Jusuf Nurkic to stay healthy, and his defense has declined for four straight years. Portland is looking to move on, but the big man’s contract is an undesirable asset that could keep him in Rip City until 2026.
Underpaid: Scoot Henderson
The number three overall pick in this summer’s draft is set to make $9.7 million as a rookie. It is a hefty price for an unproven talent, but Henderson is ready to confirm his star status. The 19-year-old will get off to a slow start adjusting to the NBA game, but his quickness and burst are unique. Scoot will get past even the best defenders early on, and fans will quickly fall in love.
Henderson was viewed as the number two player in his draft class for most of the season, and he would have been the top pick in other years. Victor Wembanyama was the most-hyped prospect since LeBron James, and it stole some of the excitement about Scoot.
Every team in the league would sign up to have four years of Henderson on a rookie deal. His ceiling is a perennial All-NBA candidate, and he is ready to contribute immediately. The Blazers were wise to hold onto the pick and to take Scoot. The 6’4 guard is a special talent that is only going to improve.
The Portland Trail Blazers hope to keep Damian Lillard, so he can mentor their young talent. It appears Dame is ready to move on, but his current franchise is still in a position to build something special, so stay tuned for all the latest.
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