Blazers Predicted to Sign Rising Star to Huge Contract Extension Ahead of Season

Jan 14, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA: Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups talks to Scoot Henderson (00) and Shaedon Sharpe (17) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers have been predicted to ink an ascendant young player to a massive new contract in time for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.

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ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks have taken a look at several exciting, fourth-year young players who are eligible for their rookie contract extensions ahead of the 2025-26 season. They have until October 20 to agree to new deals, otherwise they will all become restricted free agents next summer.

And we know how fraught that enterprise can be these days, as the top four restricted free agents this summer struggled to agree to new contracts of their own. Two players, Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas and Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes, both opted to take their qualifying offers rather than ink new long-term deals, and will reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

Sharpe's Future in Portland is at a Crossroads

Bontemps notes that general manager Joe Cronin may have some attachment to Sharpe, as the 6-foot-6 former Kentucky shooting guard (although he redshirted his lone season there) was the first player Cronin selected after he assumed the top position in the Trail Blazers' front office. Sharpe was the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The 22-year-old averaged 18.5 points on .452/.311/.785 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.9 steals a night in 72 promising games last season.

Marks cautions, meanwhile, that locking in Sharpe now — rather than figuring out his salary situation next summer in restricted free agency — could impede Portland's cap flexibility moving forward. Marks proposes a four-year, $105 million deal for Sharpe. Although it's a lucrative offer based on his past production, Marks suggests that Sharpe's ceiling may be worth the gamble.

With declining annual salaries under Marks' proposal, Portland could have plenty of real estate it could use elsewhere.

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Bontemps, for one, predicts that an agreement will happen before the start of the year.

"The Blazers have added veterans to augment their young core, but Portland has expressed a belief that it can build upon its strong second half from last season," Bontemps writes. "Keeping Sharpe and building on that momentum moving forward is part of that plan."

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.