The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to make moves over the next few weeks as they strive to continue their rise up the Western Conference standings. To make sizeable changes, General Manager Joe Cronin will need to part with real assets in order to bring back difference makers.
The Blazers have finally completed their pick obligation to the Chicago Bulls and now own both their own future draft assets as well as valuable picks and swaps from the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. But players will
also be needed to seal deals with trade partners seeking young players with upside.
During the Blazers’ rebuild, they’ve made three lottery picks, Shaedon Sharpe in 2022, Scoot Henderson in 2023 and Donovan Clingan in 2024. Of the three, Clingan appears to have established himself as the franchise’s big man of the future, solidifying the role this past season via elite defense and intriguing offensive tools.
Sharpe and Henderson have enjoyed nice moments but currently carry less convincing NBA reputations with injury and inconsistency hindering each’s ability to stamp a permanent place on the Blazers roster.
With the franchise’s new ownership keen to improve, the pair are appearing in more trade rumors. Sharpe, who’s about to start his rookie extension, is earning trade-friendly money while Henderson enters his extension-eligible offseason before restricted free agency in 2027.
Sharpe is earning roughly $6.5 million more than Henderson after July 1, so the pair are relatively interchangeable when considering contracts to be added to a bigger deal.
But which player should the Blazers prioritize?
Shaedon Sharpe
Age: 23
Position: Wing
Draft: 7th, 2022
Career stats: 234 games, 15.7 points, 33.2% 3pt, 45.2% FG, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.9 turnovers
Remaining contract: four years, $90 million
Sharpe’s four year, $90 million extension kicks in next season. The amount is perfectly tradeable but also won’t hurt the Blazers’ bottom line if he continues to be this roster’s longest-serving player, outside Damian Lillard.
We all know about Sharpe’s athletic prowess but before he was injured late last season, the Canadian began to string together consecutive games where he took a prime role on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, he returned to the court on the eve of the Play-In tournament, reverting to his old lackadaisical defensive habits.
It appears defense will end up being Sharpe’s cross to bear despite his impressive measurements, standing 6’6 combined with a near 7-foot wingspan, not to mention otherworldly athleticism. It’s also those physical gifts that give me hope in him figuring it out, one day being able to guard positions one-through-three.
On offense, Sharpe’s ceiling is still a starting wing on a really good team. His three-point shot isn’t where most of us would want it to be but the mechanics are fine and with continued play should be able to get to average splits.
His size and ability also mean he will be able to serve across both the two and the three. Sharpe’s strength is his scoring at the rim and in the midrange. Last season, he was a handy 68.8 percent at the rim and with improved health, there’s nothing stopping him from boosting those numbers further.
I know there are a lot of “ifs” still to be decided, but I see Sharpe as an efficient 20-plus point a game scorer who, if he decides he wants it, can be at least a decent defender in the backcourt and against mid-sized wings.
Scoot Henderson
Age: 22
Position: Point guard
Draft: 3rd, 2023
Career stats: 158 games, 13.5 points, 34.3% 3pt, 40.4% FG, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.9 turnovers
Remaining contract: one year, $13.6 million (extension eligible)
I often return to Henderson’s Game 2 performance against the San Antonio Spurs. His contribution to the Blazers’ one and only playoff win was pure joy, a brief glimpse at what we all hoped the former G League Ignite guard would be.
Sadly, that night was an island of productivity in a sea of disappointment for the former number three pick. The performance adds more uncertainty to how the Blazers approach his potential extension this summer, with concern over a reversion to his passive, unconvincing, poor decision making being the default.
Perhaps, more importantly, extending him this summer makes it almost impossible to trade him over the next 12 months thanks to the poison pill provision that will follow him until the new contract kicks in.
Henderson hasn’t showed us he’s anything other than a point guard and a less-than efficient one at that. While he’s undoubtedly a gifted passer and a passable shooter, his decision making and finishing are not yet worthy of a starting NBA point guard, which begs the question, what will he become?
He’s probably a rotation guard but whether he’s deserved of a starter role depends. Perhaps, the Blazers would be better to move on from him now and get the best possible return, in case he actually does confirm our worst fears.
Conclusion
I have no doubt Cronin has and will be busily making and fielding trade calls over the next few weeks. If the franchise is to pull off a big trade this summer, it will likely have to part with at least one of the young backcourt players.
While the pair aren’t on the same step on the financial ladder, they’re largely considered in the same category of player. For me, Sharpe has done more and on a more consistent basis. Though he’ll never be an All-Defensive Team talent, I’m not ruling out an improvement in that area. His size and skillset means he can play across multiple positions, allowing for ultimate versatility on this young feisty roster.
Without the ball in his hands, Henderson looks a little lost waiting in the corner, which makes him a point guard and only a point guard. Sure, he’s not too bad from long range, but the Blazers could trade Henderson and bring back a pure shooter or two at half the price he’ll likely expect for his next contract.
If it was up to me, and the Blazers had to choose between the two lottery picks, I’d choose Sharpe to stay. But that choice may be up to the trading partner depending on how the deal goes down.
