Where there's an injury prone star player, there's a below market trade to absorb their contract
Jan 11, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Shaedon Sharpe came into the NBA draft as a complete question mark. He was a top-rated recruit who did not end up playing at all for Kentucky and simply went straight from high school to college to the draft, all within around half a year.
Despite that atypical (to say the very least) path to the NBA, Sharpe was selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, one pick after the Indiana Pacers took Bennedict Mathurin.
While neither player has become a world-beater, the Pacers could target the Blazers' wing as his trade value craters following a meniscus tear. Considering how little it would cost to bring in a talent of that level, it could be worth a look for a team with no real upside plays whose biggest hole is along the wings.
Sharpe will miss the next six months with a meniscus tear, adding another tally to his long list of injuries since he entered the league. At this point, his slightly over 22 million cap hit may even be seen as a bad deal, even with the player he is and could become if he could just stay healthy.
The Pacers are already banking everything on Tyrese Haliburton's return from injury. They might as well take another risk, aiming for the upside that is the uber-talented, if oft-injured, Shaedon Sharpe as the last piece of their young core.
The 2022 Draft and its many letdowns
Looking back, it seems abundantly clear that basically every pick from sixth to 20th was a massive disappointment for their original teams, with the notable exceptions of Jalen Williams of the OKC Thunder and Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons.
That doesn't mean there weren't good players in that bunch, just that very few of them have become the players fans thought they could.
No one is a better example of that than Sharpe, who has settled into a surprising medium outcome for what was considered the most boom-or-bust prospect in the draft. The Canadian wing is a frighteningly good athlete, with a shot that can get hot in an instant and defensive instincts that have slowly come along in a great framework.
His shooting splits don't look great, however, and that's due in no small part to that same framework being... flawed on offense.
The Blazers lack any real playmaking talent. Jrue Holiday has always been best as an off-guard, Scoot Henderson has underperformed massively as the third overall pick, and any other playmaking on the roster comes from players who are trying to inflate their own stats.
Sharpe was not separate from that last group, but the Blazers asked him to be a play creator when he is clearly a play finisher. The Pacers would not make that same mistake.
The cost of business
Acquiring Sharpe seems pretty easy to pull off, especially at the deadline after he finishes rehabbing the torn meniscus that put him in this mess.
Getting to 22 million dollars in outgoing money is also quite easy. Jarace Walker makes just over eight million, and TJ McConnell or Obi Toppin could be used to fill in the rest of the necessary salary. Additionally, if the Pacers could get Vit Krecji as part of that deal, it could rapidly fix the shooting void the Pacers have.
The question would obviously become where those two slot in on a healthy rotation. However, if Andrew Nembhard moves back to his best role of sixth man with McConnell on the way out, the Pacers would have an eight man rotation that can buy into their identity perfectly, while having the upside to take another step forward.
Sharpe is a depreciated asset, and for good reason. His injury history is scary. However, teams chasing the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will need to find ways to close the gap.
This could be that for Indiana.