The Portland Trail Blazers have a difficult decision to make surrounding Shaedon Sharpe. He's currently eligible for a rookie-scale extension, but will become a restricted free agent next season if the Blazers don't get a deal done before the season starts.
Sharpe is just 22 years old and has already shown flashes of his All-Star upside, particularly down the stretch of last season. He's also been inconsistent and has yet to put it all together, with concerns surrounding his defense, shooting, and motor. Do they want to continue investing in their recent top ten pick, hoping he'll become a more complete player with experience?
That answer should be yes. But Sharpe doesn't fit Portland's defensive identity, which was apparent with Chauncey Billups' benching of him midseason. And he's suddenly become more expendable with backcourt additions of Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. If last season taught us anything, it's that very few players are truly untouchable. Portland could at least see what they can get for Sharpe before committing to him long-term.
Mock trade sends Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant to Brooklyn
One trade recently proposed on Fanspo has the Blazers sending Sharpe and Jerami Grant to the Brooklyn Nets for a package headlined by first-round picks.
Here is the deal in full:
Portland would receive a 2028 first-round pick (via Philadelphia), a 2031 first-round pick (via New York), and a 2032 first-round pick (via Denver). The 2032 pick would be the furthest pick out that Portland (or any team) could trade for in the 2025-26 season under the "Seven Year Rule." It's also legal to trade 2031 and 2032 first-rounders under the Stepien rule in consecutive years because Brooklyn has acquired separate first-round picks from another team.
Should Portland move on from Shaedon Sharpe?
It seems unlikely that Portland moves on from Grant at this point. He's become a negative asset due to his down season with three years remaining from his puzzling five-year, $160 million deal. It doesn't make sense for the Blazers to attach valuable draft capital to fix that problem at this stage in their rebuild. But in this scenario, Portland is packaging an up-and-coming player in Sharpe to help get off Grant's contract, receiving three picks in return.
If there's a trade partner for Portland to make this type of deal happen, it is Brooklyn, which leads the league in cap flexibility. The question is, how willing are the Blazers to part ways with Sharpe? We're still bullish on Sharpe's long-term outlook, so Portland should be highly selective. If they ever move him, it must be for an established star.
According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, Sharpe's trade value is high. "Should the Blazers enter the trade market seeking to acquire an All-Star caliber player, an opposing team would likely ask for Sharpe in return," Fentress wrote.
Outside of Deni Avdija, Sharpe remains the Blazers' best bet to become an All-Star. Portland desperately needs a star to guide its rebuild, and it shouldn't give away one of its best shots at that for uncertain draft picks. Like Fentress mentioned, if Sharpe did get traded, it would likely be in the other direction as a win-now move for a Blazers team seeking to accelerate their rebuild.