Whether it's the Jrue Holiday-Anfernee Simons swap or the recent extensions for Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe, the Portland Trail Blazers have remained consistent in their vision this offseason as they continue to invest in their youth. While trading for a 35-year-old Holiday with multiple years remaining on a hefty price tag may seem counterintuitive, it was actually another step in general manager Joe Cronin's prioritizing of Portland's young core.
Sure, Holiday is overpaid. But at the same time, does it really matter as much if Portland was still able to lock down its core for multiple years?
Holiday is one of the most low-maintenance former stars you can find in the league. He may not be the player he once was, particularly on the defensive end, but he's only going to make this team better as they inch closer to playing the right brand of winning basketball. This offseason, Chauncey Billups mentioned revamping the Blazers' offense, emphasizing more overall movement. Holiday's relatively low usage rate and unselfish play will help achieve this vision.
Shaedon Sharpe set for breakout season as Blazers prioritize youth
It's fair to question how this Blazers team will generate enough offense to contend for a playoff spot in the short term, especially following the departure of their skilled and offensive-minded combo guard. But another way to look at that problem is that it allows Portland's youth to step up, with their development benefiting from increased scoring and playmaking opportunities.
There's a reason the Blazers have multiple players in the running for Most Improved Player of the Year heading into this season. Sharpe, in particular, has a strong case to win the award given the way he's looked this training camp and preseason.
Portland had key injuries down the stretch of last season, but it provided fans with a glimpse of what this team's future could look like. They were locked in defensively with their versatile wings and Donovan Clingan anchoring the middle. Offensively, it was primarily Deni Avdija and Sharpe running the show. Avdija embraced more of a point forward role, while Sharpe had multiple 30-point games to finish out the season. He averaged 28.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in the month of April!
While those aren't realistic numbers to expect, they do paint a picture of Sharpe carrying over momentum into what could be a breakout campaign. Everything is aligning for this to come to fruition: continued internal improvement, Scoot Henderson's unfortunate injury, and the Holiday-Simons swap.
Portland made its commitment to Sharpe official with this extension. But in many ways, they already made that decision when they moved on from Simons. It may not seem like it, but acquiring Holiday was just as much of a short-term move as it was long-term. Portland's young core will be better off because of it, with Sharpe being a primary beneficiary.