NBA insider Jake Fischer recently provided an update regarding rookie-scale extensions (subscription required) on The Stein Line. So far, it sounds like the Portland Trail Blazers are low-balling Shaedon Sharpe, with Fischer reporting that their initial extension offer "landed in the four-year, $90 million ballpark."
In all likelihood, the Blazers will need to increase that offer if they expect an extension to get done before the start of the season.
"But when I speak to various team strategists, more often than not, I hear an expectation that the bouncy swingman will ultimately command a Giddey-esque deal in the four-year, $100 million range. If not higher," Fischer added.
Blazers can't let Shaedon Sharpe become a restricted free agent
Fischer calls Sharpe's extension with the Blazers arguably the "trickiest" situation to navigate. He mentions that Sharpe had a strong finish to the end of the season, but Portland must determine how much of that was legitimate and to what extent it was due to inflated stats on a losing team out of contention.
Sharpe is already receiving praise from teammates and head coach Chauncey Billups as the one standout performer so far in training camp. He's addressing the two most significant problems that plagued last season: shooting and defense.
Sharpe's 31.1% shooting from three is bound for positive regression this season, and Billups has already complemented his improved play on the defensive end. His strong finish is carrying over into his fourth season, which could result in a breakout campaign when combined with the increased offensive load he's bound to take on with Anfernee Simons now in Boston.
If the Blazers believe that to be the case, it could be in their best interest financially to invest in Sharpe now and get ahead of the full-on breakout. If they let the market decide his value next summer in restricted free agency, they'll be playing with fire, as teams could drive up the price, especially with the number of teams projected to have significant cap space next summer.
As Fischer notes, that could become more problematic down the road as Portland looks to retain the rest of its young core.
"It could also behoove the Blazers to get a deal done with Sharpe this month, given what looms in their future," Fischer writes. "It won't be long before young cornerstones Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara will be seeking extensions of their own. Having fixed numbers in place for Sharpe on Portland's books could provide valuable context for the rest of the Blazers' bookkeeping."
One way or another, the Blazers must continue investing in their 22-year-old guard with star potential. Sharpe is far from a finished product and needs to figure out how to be more impactful on winning as a complete player. However, he has shown enough promise this offseason that Portland should still feel comfortable committing to him long term.
A deal in the $25-30 million annual range seems reasonable, especially factoring in the star potential.
The Blazers have until the start of the season to extend Sharpe, so hopefully, they'll increase their offer before it's too late. We've seen how messy restricted free agency can get this summer, and they're better off proactively avoiding that situation.