Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe tore the meniscus in his right knee during a recent offseason workout and is expected to miss six months, ESPN reported on August 24, citing sources. NBA.com reports Sharpe will be re-evaluated at the six-month mark rather than cleared automatically.
Counted from late August, a six-month absence covers essentially the entire 2026-27 regular season, which opens with Knicks-76ers in October. A re-evaluation in late February would leave only the closing weeks of the regular season and the postseason as a realistic return window, and the team has not set a target date.
The contract and the second straight lost season
Sharpe is 23 and was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft. He averaged 20.8 points last season, a career high, but missed a large portion of that campaign with a stress fracture of his left fibula. This makes two consecutive seasons interrupted by a significant injury.
Sharpe signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year, and that deal officially begins this season. It pays roughly $20 million for 2026-27 — the season the six-month absence covers.
What Portland has behind him
Portland carries three veteran guards behind Sharpe. The team acquired Ja Morant from Memphis in June in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, and Damian Lillard returned to Portland in 2025. With Jrue Holiday also on the roster, the team carries three veteran guards who can absorb Sharpe's minutes.
Source: ESPN
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