The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t merely fortify the future of their defense on Sunday. They also bolstered the future of their offense.
Shaedon Sharpe and the Blazers agreed to a contract extension, a team source confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive, beating a Monday deadline and preventing the shooting guard from becoming a restricted free agent following the season.
The deal, first reported by ESPN, is a 4-year, $90-million extension that could keep the 22-year-old in Portland through the 2029-30 season. And it came as a relative surprise to some with knowledge of the negotiations.
Just last week, sources told The Oregonian/OregonLive that an extension didn’t look good, with one suggesting there was only a 25% chance of it happening. But roughly 24 hours before Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline, Sharpe and the Blazers found common ground, ensuring the sides remain together for the foreseeable future.
The Blazers drafted Sharpe with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft and he is coming off his best season. The 6-foot-5 playmaker averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 2024-25, during which he shot 45.2% from the field, including 31.1% from three-point range.
His scoring prowess and highlight-reel athleticism are elite, but Sharpe has been a streaky shooter, especially from three-point range, and a liability on defense so far in his career. But since the dawn of training camp, teammates and coaches have praised Sharpe’s offseason growth — even on defense — and more than one has predicted that he’s poised for his best season yet.
His continued growth is vital to the rebuilding Blazers, who have built an identity around defense and need his scoring and playmaking ability to become reliable.
Sharpe’s extension was part of a busy day for general manager Joe Cronin, who also inked defensive stalwart Toumani Camara to a four-year extension. The pair of deals adds stability and long-term cohesion for the rebuilding organization, which is looking to take a meaningful step forward after managing just 117 wins over the last four seasons.
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