TITLE: Sharpe Faces Season-Ending Fibula Fracture; Nuggets Eye Cost-Cutting Move; Beverley Cleared of Charges
SLUG: sharpe-out-nuggets-cap-crunch-beverley-cleared
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The Portland Trail Blazers will be without starting guard Shaedon Sharpe for the foreseeable future after team doctors diagnosed a stress fracture in his left fibula, the club announced. Sharpe, 21, will be reevaluated in four to six weeks, effectively sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season.
The third-year guard last appeared on Feb. 6, when what was initially labeled a calf strain led to further imaging that revealed the fracture. Sharpe is averaging a career-best 21.4 points, second-highest on the roster, and signed a four-year, $90 million rookie-scale extension in October that begins in 2024-25. Portland sits ninth in the Western Conference and is attempting to secure its first playoff berth since 2021.
Denver Bracing for Cap Squeeze
The reigning champion Denver Nuggets could face a tough roster decision this summer. According to The Denver Post, team officials are intent on re-signing restricted free agent Peyton Watson after his breakout campaign, but ownership has treated the NBA’s second tax apron as a de facto hard cap. To keep Watson, Denver may need to move salary, and league sources told the newspaper that forward Cam Johnson is viewed internally as the most likely trade candidate if flexibility becomes necessary.
Beverley Will Not Face Charges
Veteran guard Patrick Beverley, currently playing for PAOK BC in Greece, will not be prosecuted in connection with a November arrest in Texas. A grand jury returned a no-bill, determining there was insufficient evidence to proceed on allegations that he assaulted his teenage sister, USA Today reported. Beverley’s attorneys said in a statement that the 35-year-old is “glad that the process was allowed to work” and hopes his “name and reputation will be restored.”
Source: Hoops Wire
