Rising Trail Blazers Star To Miss Significant Time; May Not Return In 2025/26

The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled for the past few seasons, but in 2025/26, they've shown immense improvement with a young core that has some fantastic upside moving forward. With the return of Damian Lillard next season and a summer to improve, things are certainly looking up for them, but now, they've potentially suffered a major blow.

One young piece of that core that was expected to take a step forward this season was Shaedon Sharpe, but now, the team have revealed he will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a calf strain, with some not expecting him to return in 2025/26.

In 48 games this season, Sharpe took a step forward, averaging a career high 21 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes of action per night. With Jrue Holliday, the returning Lillard and Scoot Henderson, this was a team that could have a loaded backcourt in 2026/27 and beyond, but with this latest injury, some believe it could be the end of Sharpe in Portland.

Across 4 seasons, Sharpe has played in 50 or less games twice now, and with just one year of 80 or more games, despite the fact that he's locked down long-term, he could be an intriguing trade piece for a team that may want to contend next season. Ultimately, if Sharpe can return this season, he can prove to this team that he's valuable long-term, but with another injury, there's no telling just how this will play out.