The Portland Trail Blazers have an extremely young roster as they continue their rebuilding efforts this summer and look to position themselves for a top 2025 NBA Draft pick next offseason. They could make more trades before the start of training camp, but as it stands, Jerami Grant is the only player 30 years or older. As a result, they have multiple players still on their rookie deals who are on highly team-friendly contracts entering the 2024-25 season.
1. Shaedon Sharpe
2024-25: $6.6 million
The high-flying guard Shaedon Sharpe was expected to have a breakout sophomore campaign with the Blazers after his strong finish to his rookie season. But he was only limited to 32 games after undergoing surgery for a core muscle injury. Sharpe was productive in his limited sample size, showing improvements across the board with averages of 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals on 41/33/82 shooting splits.
It was a down year for Sharpe in terms of his shooting efficiency, as he shot 36 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie. Sharpe could be a candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year if he can improve in that department for his third season.
It remains to be seen if the Blazers will have Sharpe in the starting lineup, as it will likely come down between him and Scoot Henderson for the last spot after Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, and Donovan Clingan. Regardless of whether he ends up starting, Sharpe will see a ton of minutes and have a significant role in the offense as the Blazers look to make him one of the focal pieces of their rebuilding core.
Simons could also be moved before training camp, which would solve head coach Chauncey Billups' dilemma about which young guard to start. But at $6.6 million, Sharpe is one of the best values on Rip City's roster entering the 2024-25 season. He could be in for a tremendous breakout season, making it look like even better value by the end of the year.