The Portland Trail Blazers announced that Shaedon Sharpe will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks after follow-up imaging on his left calf strain revealed a stress reaction of the left fibula. It's the latest of a seemingly never-ending list of injuries for Portland this season.
With just 24 games remaining, we don't expect Sharpe to return at all this season.
The Blazers' final game is on Apr. 12 against the Sacramento Kings, which is less than seven weeks away. Sharpe will still have to return to basketball activities following the estimated timeline. He could potentially return in time to contribute to the Blazers' play-in push. But given how long injuries have dragged out this season, we're not getting our hopes up.
If that is the case, there's a chance we've already seen Sharpe play his last game in a Blazers jersey. And we're not the only ones wondering:
Would not be surprised one bit if Shaedon played his last game in a Blazer uniform after this injury pic.twitter.com/rh7dwhdA1r
— 🅵🅾🆁🆃🅷🅴🅵🅰🅽🆂 🎙 (@503Blazerfans) February 24, 2026
Blazers could move on from Shaedon Sharpe this summer
The Blazers were relatively quiet at the deadline, but are well-positioned to make significant roster changes this offseason if that's the route they choose. For one, the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga will pick up yet again, giving Portland leverage as a facilitator if a blockbuster deal were to finally materialize. The wild card is incoming owner Tom Dundon, and whether he wants to make significant changes so early on.
Sharpe could be the odd man out if the Blazers were to make an aggressive swing, accelerating their rebuilding timeline around aging star guards Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard.
It's a challenging situation for Portland to navigate, especially since they still lack backcourt clarity. The Scoot Henderson-Shaedon Sharpe backcourt played just one game together this entire season. Scoot was on a minutes restriction while Sharpe logged 14 minutes before exiting with his calf injury.
However, Sharpe's fit has been questionable throughout Portland's rebuild. He was benched last season by Chauncey Billups for his lack of defense, and doesn't fit the defensive vision general manager Joe Cronin has doubled down on this past summer.
Some will push back on this, noting that the Blazers shouldn't give up on their 22-year-old guard with star upside that they recently locked down with a team-friendly extension. We lean towards keeping Sharpe for those very reasons, but it's also why he would have high trade value should Portland decide to go star hunting this summer.
They must consider how they envision the contender version of this team will look and what Sharpe's role will be down the road. He may be best suited as an elite sixth man on a contender. And if that's the case, he shouldn't be considered untouchable for Portland. There's a price for just about every player in today's NBA, and Sharpe shouldn't be an exception.
Depending on how long this injury recovery takes and what direction Portland takes this summer, don't be surprised if Sharpe's last game with the Blazers was Feb. 6 against the Grizzlies. He's more likely than not to return to Rip City as a key piece of their young core, but it's certainly a possibility we shouldn't overlook.