At the behest of his head coach, Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara flashed a big smile in front of reporters on Monday.
“Show ‘em that $80 million smile, Tou,” Chauncey Billups said as he walked
by the media scrum. “Show ‘em them teeth, Tou!”
The third-year forward was already beaming as he discussed the new four-year, $82 million contract extension he signed over the weekend. But the grin got wider after Billups’ interjection.
“I don’t see myself anywhere else,” Camara said. “So to have them see the same thing I’m seeing, I think it’s just a blessing, really. I don’t really know how to describe it.”
Smiles and good vibrations were the talk after Monday’s practice in Tualatin as the Blazers celebrated not only Camara’s contract extension, but the four-year, $90 million contract extension for fourth-year guard Shaedon Sharpe. Both extensions were reported within an hour of each other on Sunday afternoon. Both locked down key young players in Portland’s rebuild through the 2029-30 season while rewarding them with life-altering money. And both seemed to boost the Blazers’ morale as they move toward their regular-season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
“It was all happy-feely, man,” Billups said about his congratulatory phone calls with Sharpe and Camara over the weekend. “Shae is not the most emotional person, but he was happy, and you could feel it. You could see [Toumani’s] smile through the phone. He was like jumping-around-in-his-apartment type of happy.”
The payday for Camara is the latest step up the ladder in his quick ascent to NBA acclaim. In just two seasons, the 25-year-old from Belgium has gone from a late second-round pick and trade throw-in to an NBA All-Defensive Second Team performer and legit 3-and-D threat. Much of the Blazers’ newfound defensive-first identity can be credited to Camara, who is lauded in NBA circles for his ability at 6-foot-7 to guard stars of all sizes. Now he’ll be rewarded handsomely for that impact.
Camara admitted Monday he wouldn’t have believed somebody if they told him years ago he’d get to this moment in his career. He said he never projected too far ahead into the future or thought much about the money as he pursued his basketball dream. The answers rang true for a player who has used his draft position as a chip on his shoulder and refused to rest on laurels during his young career. Last season, he found ways to respond to most interview questions with explanations of how he can be better. That’s why his smile and excitement said a lot about the significance of this accomplishment, although he still showed that unsatisfied mentality when asked if he celebrated the extension.
“Celebrate [the moment]? Nah,” Camara said. “I was just telling my people I was ready to get in the gym yesterday. It makes me more hungry. It’s something that pushes me to be able to do more.”
Sharpe was consistent with his laid-back nature in front of reporters on Monday, even while discussing such big professional news. That nature came through in the lowkey way he commemorated the occasion on Sunday (chicken Alfredo made by his girlfriend and a night-time workout) and how he talked about his role in the contract negotiations (I just talked to my agent. He said it’s a pretty good deal, so I took it.). Even as Sharpe focused much of his attention on the upcoming season and unfinished work, the magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost on the 22-year-old guard, particularly when he talked about who he called first to tell the news.
“I had to let my mother know,” said Sharpe, adding that his grandparents were there for the call. “ … They were excited. It’s life-changing money.”
The 6-foot-6 Sharpe is entering a pivotal fourth season with the Blazers. While he may be less established than Camara at the moment, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft continues to show star potential with his leaping athleticism and flashes of scoring dominance. Those gifts helped Sharpe average 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season, although he struggled with his 3-point shot (31.1%). If he breaks out the way the franchise is hoping, that “life-changing” contract Sharpe signed this weekend could end up looking like a bargain for the Blazers.
Many national pundits writing about Portland’s transactions have given special emphasis to the reasonable price points of these extensions. The figures seem to have found the sweet spot, showing great potential for favorable value but also low risk of hamstringing future roster construction. A quick scan of message boards on Blazer’s Edge and other social media sites will show many fans expressing delight about the same thing. It seems to be an NBA transaction that leaves everybody happy — critics, fans, players and the organization. The rare win-win-win-win.
For a rebuilding franchise that has been measuring the last few years less by regular-season records and more by player development, these contract extensions symbolize meaningful progress.
“For us, these are wins,” Billups said. “We’ve worked so hard to develop Shaedon and Toumani and Donovan [Clingan] and Scoot [Henderson] and these other guys. That’s what our [recent] seasons have been about. So you get to this point, and you say, ‘Man, it’s well worth it.’”
