Trail Blazers is expanding several Young Core members as the regular season approaches

On Sunday, two days before the 2025-26 NBA campaign kicked off, the Portland Trail Blazers reached overtime with Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The deal with Camara is a four-year extension worth $82 million. Portland’s deal with Sharpe is worth $90 million over four years. That’s a total of $172 million.

While it’s an expensive Sunday for the Trail Blazers, these are both good investments. A 2023 second-round pick of the Phoenix Suns, before Camara ever played a game for them, was diverted to the Pacific Northwest. That was a product of the three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

In Portland he has blossomed into a defensive stud. Last season, the 6-foot-1 wing had 1.5 steals per game. His total of 116 steals ranked in the top 10. He also hit 50 shots, becoming one of seven players with at least 100 steals and 50 blocks in a season.

Camara helped the Trail Blazers finish in the top 10 in fewest points allowed after the All-Star break, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team.

His disruptive defense and bulldog-like approach at that end of the floor make it easy for some to lose sight of his overall impact. He averaged 11.3 points in the 2024-2025 season. A key development in determining the 25-year-old’s ceiling is that he knocked down 37.5 percent of the 4.6 threes he hit.

Camara also grabbed 5.8 rebounds per game, including 2.2 on the offensive side of the court. He also provided 2.2 assists per tilt, an excellent number for someone in his role and the amount of time the ball is in his hands.

Entering his third year in the NBA, the Belgian is thriving in Portland’s infrastructure. Now he is in a position to continue developing his game in that environment for the long term.

The ascent of Shaedon Sharpe

Sharpe looked like an Iron Man as a rookie, appearing in 80 games. However, due to a core muscle injury, he appeared in only 32 tilts in his second season. Luckily, he was healthy in 2024-25, paving the way for a career year.

The former seventh overall selection generated 18.5 points per game. The high-flying former Kentucky Wildcat showed off not only his ability to finish above the rim, but more importantly, his knack for getting to the basket consistently.

He also averaged 2.8 assists, making strides as a facilitator. Ideally, Sharpe will improve from behind the arc. He converted just 31.1 percent of his three-point attempts last season. However, his willingness to launch 6.6 per game and not be deterred was positive. Those misses also didn’t detract from his ability to attack downhill.

At 22 years old and still in the early stages of his development, extending Sharpe was a wise move by the Trail Blazers given the combination of what he has already shown and his upside.