NBA Player News

Landale (ankle) is healthy ahead of the start of training camp, Michael Shapiro of SI.com reports.

Landale suffered a left ankle injury while playing at the FIBA World Cup this summer, but he's back to full health as the Rockets prepare for training camp. He should serve as the primary backup to Alperen Sengun to begin the regular season after signing a three-year deal with Houston during the offseason.

Clarke (Achilles) won't be ready to play for the start of the 2023-24 regular season, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reports.

Clarke sustained a torn Achilles in early March and underwent a clean-up procedure during the offseason. He wasn't expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but the Grizzlies made it official during their media day Monday. It's not yet clear when Clarke will be back to full health, but the Grizzlies will likely exercise caution before deeming him ready to return.

Adams (knee) is healthy for the start of training camp, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reports.

Although Adams has been trending in the right direction over the past few weeks, the Grizzlies will ease him back into action following his recovery from a sprained PCL in his right knee that he sustained in late January. Depending on his progress during training camp and the preseason, it's possible Adams faces some minutes restrictions to begin the 2023-24 regular season.

Koloko (illness) won't participate in the start of training camp with the Raptors this year, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Koloko continues to deal with respiratory issues that prevented him from playing in the Summer League during the offseason, and he'll at least be sidelined for the first week of team activities ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. His availability for preseason play certainly appears to be in question, and it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to the court.

Gafford sustained an elbow injury during a recent pickup game and is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Gafford reportedly took a hard fall during the pickup game and landed on his elbow. While the exact diagnosis for his injury remains unknown, the belief is that the big man will avoid surgery. He'll still be sidelined to start training camp, however, and he'll likely miss some preseason action. Gafford could still be on track to be ready to go for Washington's Oct. 25 regular-season opener at Indiana, where he could serve as the team's starting center. He was part of the top unit in 47 of his 78 appearances in 2022-23.

Williams and Malcolm Brogdon were traded to Portland by Boston on Sunday in exchange for Jrue Holiday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Boston will also send a 2024 first-round pick and a 2029 unprotected first-round pick to Portland. Williams, who was slated for a reduced workload after the Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis this offseason, will now get a fresh start in Portland but will likely form a timeshare with Deandre Ayton to start 2023-24. This may not be a worst-case scenario for Williams, who's struggled to play heavy minutes in recent years while battling lingering knee issues. Williams should remain an elite source of blocks even in limited minutes, but his overall fantasy value certainly takes a hit with the trade.

The Pelicans signed Robbins to a training camp contract Saturday.

Robbins went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft after averaging 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 1.0 assists in his final season at Vanderbilt. If Robbins is unable to make the Pelicans' regular season roster, he will likely join the team's G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

Ayton was traded to the Trail Blazers on Wednesday in a three-team trade involving the Bucks and Suns, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Portland also acquired Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and a 2029 first-round pick. Milwaukee received Damian Lillard. Phoenix got Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

Portland finally traded Lillard after months of speculation. The front office is expected to shop Holiday to acquire young talent and/or picks, but Ayton appears to be staying a Trail Blazer. Away from high-usage stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Ayton could see more touches than ever. As a sophomore, the center flashed third-round fantasy value, and this move could make him an even more reliable source of 20-and-10s.

Nurkic was traded to the Suns on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal between Phoenix, Portland and Milwaukee, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The deal also sends Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton to Portland.

While Lillard and Holiday are the big headliners, Nurkic brings some much-needed big man depth to Phoenix in the wake of Ayton being shipped to Portland in the deal. For the most part, Nurkic has struggled with injuries over the last four seasons, playing 52, 56, 37 and eight games, respectively. When healthy, he's a productive source of points, rebounds and defensive stats, but he'll likely slide in as a secondary piece on a Suns roster that has plenty of offensive firepower.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday that Porzingis (foot) is completely healthy ahead of training camp, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports.

Porzingis sat out the 2023 FIBA World Cup due to plantar fasciitis, but as expected, he's good to go for his first training camp with the Celtics. "Kristaps has been running up and down the court the last few days," Stevens said. "I thought the progression that his trainers [in Latvia], our trainers here and everybody came up with to get him back so that he could avoid anything lingering was key." The new-look Celtics will presumably have some kinks to work out in 2023-24, but Porzingis, whose fantasy value likely takes a hit with the move, brings a new dimension to a team with championship aspirations.