Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus recently made contract extension predictions for the 2025 NBA rookie-scale players. Here's what he wrote regarding the Portland Trail Blazers' former No. 7 overall pick:
"Shaedon Sharpe remains an unfinished product, and the Blazers may not want to pay him based on what he might be in the future—at least not to the amount he may expect."
He listed Sharpe's closest extension comps from Corey Kispert (four years, $54 million) to Jalen Green (three years, $105.3 million). That's a wide range of $13.5 million to $35.1 million annually. But more significantly, the expectation is that no deal will be made.
Shaedon Sharpe’s subpar season might be best for the Blazers' long-term plans
On the surface, Sharpe's third season was relatively impressive, with averages of 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. But it still left much to be desired.
Sharpe had the worst shooting season of his young career, connecting on just 31.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
Chauncey Billups also demoted him to a bench role halfway through the season because of concerns on the defensive end -- Sharpe's 117.2 defensive rating was the second-worst behind only Anfernee Simons. Benching him may not have been the best decision for Sharpe's development, but it's hard to argue with the results from a win-loss standpoint, as that lineup switch played a significant role in their surprising turnaround.
Sharpe has made strides at just 21 years old, but he's still more of a theoretical idea. He still has plenty of time to figure out how to put it all together, but the Blazers need to make a decision on his extension by the start of next season. Holding off on it makes sense, and Sharpe's so-so season could actually be the best thing for them in the long run.
Portland will have several contracts come off the books after next season and could follow a blueprint similar to the Philadelphia 76ers. They waited on Tyrese Maxey's extension to give themselves more cap flexibility, allowing them to add Paul George the following summer.
That's the Blazers' best bet to add a star in free agency, especially when they (hopefully) prove how competitive they are after 2025-26 when they compete for a playoff spot.
If Sharpe has an improved season and contributes to that playoff push, he'll justify his next contract and be less of a gamble for Portland. If not, it presents a great buy-low opportunity for someone with arguably the highest upside on the roster.