The Portland Trail Blazers made a few moves prior to the trade deadline with an eye towards the future, sending former starting small forward Josh Hart to the New York Knicks for Cam Reddish and a first-rounder and dealing away Gary Payton II for five second-round picks. But it appears the Blazers' future is now, with rookie Shaedon Sharpe looking to make a leap – both figuratively and literally.

With Hart and Payton out of the way, the Blazers have cleared the runway for a potential takeoff for Sharpe in the latter third of the season. And to the rookie's credit, he appears to be taking advantage of the opportunity by making the most out of his minutes.

With the Blazers down by 17 to the Washington Wizards late in the third, the ball found its way to Shaedon Sharpe on the corner. Sharpe then easily blew by a closing Taj Gibson, took one power dribble with the left hand, and yammed the ball down both Kyle Kuzma and Delon Wright's throats with a nasty tomahawk hammer that must be seen to be believed.

Sharpe's body control and gracefulness in the air was simply incredible. He managed to maintain his balance even as he brought the ball all the way back using every inch of his 6'11.5 wingspan. In addition, Sharpe pulled off this insane dunk even as he hit his head on the underside of the backboard after soaring way too high.

Of course, NBA Twitter couldn't get enough of Shaedon Sharpe's highflying exploits, as they burst into euphoria over a dunk that punches its way for strong consideration for being the Dunk of the Year.

Highlights like these cause considerable excitement – even more so for someone who's yet to turn 20. With Sharpe's skillset as a bouncy athlete with potential to grow as a go-to scorer on the wing, some fans couldn't help but anoint the youngster as a future All-Star talent.

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Meanwhile, others rued the fact that Shaedon Sharpe chose not to participate in the upcoming Slam Dunk Contest. With leaping ability that some fans have the audacity of comparing to prime Vince Carter's, it's quite a shame that the youngster won't get to show his bounce in a global stage.

https://twitter.com/CalsCakes29/status/1625722304188805121?s=20&t=cyWu2vku8eubyUoGRmfW7Q

The Dunk Contest could turn out to be a banger still, with the likes of KJ Martin, Trey Murphy III, and Jericho Sims headlining the competitors. But the biggest story of the contest could very well be about who's not there to participate.