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The Portland Trail Blazers are widely expected to make win-now moves this offseason to appease superstar point guard Damian Lillard. The Blazers have reportedly been engaged in trade talks centered around their No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
The rumors come after Lillard reportedly made it clear that he isn’t interested in playing with more young prospects. However, the Blazers may need to include more assets along with their pick to land "Dame Time" a true co-star.
One of Portland’s best trade assets outside of their 2023 pick is 2022 No. 7 pick Shaedon Sharpe. However, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Sharpe is off limits in any potential deal involving the Portland Trail Blazers’ No. 3 pick.
“There's nothing promised about Portland's future at this juncture, either,” Fischer reported.
“But one detail has emerged from early trade conversations around the league: Trail Blazers officials have left inquiring teams with the impression that Shaedon Sharpe, the No. 7 pick in last year's draft, is off-limits in any dialogue regarding the No. 3 pick.”
Sharpe averaged 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.3 3-pointers per game on 47.2% shooting over 80 games as a rookie. However, he took his game to another level to end the season once the Portland Trail Blazers fell out of playoff contention.
Sharpe averaged 23.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 0.9 spg and 3.1 3pg on 46.0% shooting over his final 10 games. It looks like his flashes of star potential were enough to make the 20-year-old wing untouchable for the Blazers.
Also read: “I want to have an opportunity to win in Portland” – Damian Lillard on his future with Trail Blazers
Adrian Wojnarowski on the Portland Trail Blazers’ plans surrounding their No. 3 pick
On May 26, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on “The Woj Pod” that the Portland Trail Blazers are willing to trade their No. 3 pick. However, he added that it could take a big offer for the Blazers to part with the pick.
This is because the 2023 NBA draft is viewed as a draft with clear-cut top three prospects in Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller.
“They’re willing, if there’s a deal out there that could bring them back a pretty elite player at three, and maybe that’s Anfernee Simons and the pick,” Wojnarowski reported.
“Especially at (pick) three, you’ve got to get back a really, really elite player to trade out the third pick in a draft that most agree is a three-player draft.”
Wojnarowski added that the Blazers’ decision of whether or not to trade their pick could shape the draft.
“Portland, to me, in a lot of ways, I think the draft starts with them,” Wojnarowski said.
Wojnarowski's conversation about Portland’s draft plans starts at the 12:25 mark below:
