Trail Blazers Must Decide Their Next Move After Shaedon Sharpe’s Injury

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe is expected to be sidelined for six months after he sustained a torn meniscus in his knee, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday.

Sharpe, the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft, is coming off a career year in Portland in which he averaged 20.8 points per game for a team that made its first playoff appearance in five seasons. He missed two months late last season due to a stress reaction in his left leg, but returned for the Blazers’ final two regular-season games and for the playoff series against the Spurs on limited minutes.

One of the league’s most exciting young guards and best dunkers, he was second on the Blazers in scoring to Deni Avdija, who had a breakout year of his own, averaging 24.2 points per game and earning his first All-Star nod. Sharpe’s prolonged absence to start the 2026–27 season is a brutal blow for Portland, which will try to take another step forward in a difficult Western Conference under new head coach Micah Nori.

With Damian Lillard’s return to the court after he missed last season and the Trail Blazers’ offseason trade for Ja Morant, the franchise aims to thread the needle with its combination of up-and-comers and accomplished veterans. With Morant in tow and Lillard back on the floor, fair questions have surrounded the Blazers about their crowded group of guards that also includes Jrue Holiday and No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft Scoot Henderson. And that’s before you even consider Avdija taking most of the on-ball reps.

NEXT: Five NBA Players Who Could Be on the Move Ahead of Opening Night

A trade, whether it was moving off Holiday’s remaining salary or garnering assets for Henderson, made sense as a potential late offseason move. Sharpe’s unfortunate injury that will keep him out until February (at least) certainly changes things for the Blazers, though.

The Trail Blazers have time to figure out their crowded guard room

Damian Lillard and Shaedon Sharpe — Damian Lillard is set to return this season after he missed all of last year with a torn Achilles | USA TODAY Sports

After Portland had its best finish in five seasons with a 42–40 record and earning the seventh seed in the West through the play-in tournament, next year is about experimentation and data collection. How much will a 36-year-old Lillard, fresh off an Achilles injury, contribute? Is Henderson part of the long-term plans? Do we have anything with Yang Hansen (for my fellow basketball sickos)?

Most of all, though, will the Morant experiment work with a fresh start?

The jumble of guards in Morant, Lillard, Holiday and Henderson will need time on the floor next to each other and next to Avdija. A Tetris game of minute distribution for Nori in his first season (and his only guaranteed year, no less) to figure out his team’s most optimal combinations.

Sharpe and Toumani Camara are on the books through 2029–30, but other than that, there are some extensions (or trades) to figure out. Avdija is extension eligible now—currently on the best contract in the league—and he’ll need his money eventually. Henderson is headed for restricted free agency next summer, while emerging big man Donovan Clingan becomes extension eligible next offseason. The latter has already proven he’s one of the NBA’s best rim protectors and seems well worth a long-term commitment.

With Morant, Holiday and Lillard all under contract for two more seasons (assuming the latter two pick up their healthy player options for 2027–28), something’s got to give at some point. Lillard and Holiday are both 36 and obviously aren’t part of the long-term plan, but each helps in the present day. The question is: Are their salaries worth making it work with the other financial commitments the franchise will inevitably have to make?

Lillard’s player option for 2027–28 is much less than Holiday’s—$14.1 million compared to $37.2 million—but both deals take up a critical amount of Portland’s cap sheet. If Henderson gets a new contract to remain with the team, the veteran salaries only loom larger. Of note, presumed new deals for Avdija and Clingan wouldn’t kick in until Lillard and Holiday’s current contracts expire, but the Blazers still could make a choice with the crowded backcourt in favor of needed depth elsewhere.

NEXT: Kobe Bryant’s Legendary No-Flinch Moment Deserves the Internet’s Respect Again

Portland doesn’t have to make a decision now, but that time will come quickly. The franchise is in a fair financial position with only one player making more than $40 million on the roster in Morant and he’s only on the books for two more seasons, too. Holiday is dangerously close to that threshold which makes him the most likely veteran to get moved even before you consider Lillard’s attachment to Portland. The Blazers may have to attach assets to get off Holiday’s contract, though, which could keep him in town through his age 37 season.

Holiday remains a productive player even if the dollar amount doesn’t line up with the output. Lillard will presumedly bring elite three-point shooting at the very least after the long layoff. He did win the three-point competition last season after all.

While Sharpe’s absence is a huge disappointment, it gives Nori 29.3 minutes per game to divvy up amongst this pu pu platter of guards. Sharpe isn’t the same type of player as his aforementioned cohorts in the backcourt, but he’s a Portland guard who got nearly 30 minutes a night when available last season. He doesn’t facilitate or need the ball as much as Lillard, Morant, Henderson or even Holiday.

However, his displaced minutes allow Nori to more cleanly play a combination of his four guards next to Avdija and see what works and, more importantly, give general manager Joe Cronin the film he needs to make necessary decisions. By the time Sharpe is ready to make his season debut, presumably around the end of February, the trade deadline will have passed and the Blazers could exchange one or multiple of their guards for much-needed help at wing.

If Morant doesn’t work out and the team isn’t in postseason contention by that point, maybe another team takes a flier on Henderson and sends Portland some sort of draft capital, whether that’s at the deadline or through a sign-and-trade next summer. If the Blazers don’t see Henderson as their point guard of the future.

No matter the outcome, the unfortunate reality of Sharpe’s injury gives Portland more room to tinker with lineups and understand what the team should look like a year from now. And it will be fascinating to watch play out.

Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.

Add us as a preferred source on Google