Deni Avdija has emerged as a rising star for the Portland Trail Blazers, deservedly grabbing the spotlight. But Shaedon Sharpe's leap has quietly flown under the radar amidst all the Avdija buzz. Sharpe continues to trend in the right direction, following up a March where he averaged 18.9 points per game with an April that already includes back-to-back 30-plus point performances.
We've been covering how the Blazers need to find more clarity surrounding Sharpe before they make one of their most important offseason decisions of whether or not to extend him. They're finding that at the perfect time as Sharpe is giving the Blazers exactly what they were hoping to see.
But there's a possibility that Sharpe's play isn't the deciding factor in whether or not Portland inks him to a rookie-scale extension this summer -- or at least, it shouldn't be. A more significant variable to consider is the Blazers' current cap situation.
Blazers should hold off on Sharpe's extension like the 76ers did with Maxey
Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report predicted Sharpe's next contract (subscription required) to land in the $25-30 million range. That seems reasonable, given his All-Star upside and the flashes he's shown this season at just 21 years old. Still, the Blazers' best path forward may be to emulate what Philadelphia did with Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey's play warranted an extension, but the 76ers waited an additional summer before inking him to a five-year, $204 max contract. That provided the cap flexibility to bring in Paul George. While that experiment has been nothing short of a disaster in Philadelphia, the process of managing the cap was correct -- they just bet on the wrong player.
Portland has several substantial contracts coming off the books after next season, including Deandre Ayton ($35.6 million), Anfernee Simons ($27.7 million), Robert Williams III ($13.3 million), and Matisse Thybulle ($11.6 million player option).
In 2026-27, they currently have just $76.4 million tied up. That is roughly $100 million less than the previous season. It's also not even accounting for the possibility that the Blazers try to get off of Jerami Grant, which would free up an additional $34 million.
Deni Avdija is arguably the best contract in the league, while Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Toumani Camara will still be on rookie deals. That makes next offseason a golden opportunity for them to clear cap space and sign a free agent to add to their young core. It's also ideal timing because their youth will have more experience and be better prepared to contribute to a deep playoff push, meaning it makes more sense to add in a veteran star at that point.
Some realistic free agents to watch in 2026 could include Jaren Jackson Jr., Kyrie Irving, Mikal Bridges, Kristaps Porzingis, Naz Reid, Julius Randle, and Jabari Smith Jr. (restricted). The Blazers could even decide to bring back Damian Lillard, who has a player option.
There's a lot of talent potentially becoming available that summer. Just like Philadelphia did with Maxey, Portland should create more financial flexibility to position themselves to land one of them.