NBA Player News

Jackson (Achilles) has been working with the first unit in pick-up games, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Jackson tore his Achilles in early November last season, and there haven't been many updates on his progress. However, the fact that he's participating in pick-up games is encouraging, and it's looking possible that he'll be ready around Opening Night. Though Jackson has been working with the first unit, coach Rick Carlisle noted that he isn't committed to a starting center, giving praise to all of Jackson, Jay Huff, James Wiseman and Tony Bradley.

The Lakers waived Kelley on Sunday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

Kelley joined the Lakers on an Exhibit 10 contract in August, and although he will be waived, Los Angeles will retain his G League rights. Kelley appeared in 11 games during the 2024-25 campaign between the Mavericks and Pelicans, where he averaged 3.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per contest.

Head coach Nick Nurse said Embiid (knee) participated "quite a bit" in practice Saturday, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com reports.

After playing in only 19 regular-season games with the team last season, Embiid's status for the 2025-26 campaign has been uncertain regarding his timetable for returning to the floor. However, this is a good sign for the one-time NBA MVP, as there's a chance he could return sooner rather than later.

Edey has been cleared to begin ramping up basketball activities and is expected to return to play in six to nine weeks.

Edey underwent surgery to address laxity in his left ankle on June 7. He'll likely get back on the floor at some point in November if all goes well, which is good news for Memphis, who also have Brandon Clarke (knee), Cedric Coward (shoulder) and Jaren Jackson (foot) on the mend.

Clarke will undergo a procedure to address knee synovitis and will be re-evaluated in six weeks, Shams Charania of ESPNreports.

Clarke missed the last 14 regular-season games and the four games in the first round of the playoffs during the 2024-25 campaign due to a PCL sprain. The 28-year-old has frequently battled injuries throughout his career, as he has never played more than 64 regular-season games during his previous six seasons in Memphis. He is expected to make a full recovery from the procedure on his knee, but it is uncertain when he'll make his debut during the 2025-26 season.

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said Friday that Poeltl (hand) will be ready for training camp, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports.

Poeltl missed the final four games of the 2024-25 regular season due to a right hand contusion, but the Raptors have zero injuries to report ahead of training camp. Signed to a four-year, $104 million contract extension over the offseason, Poeltl is set to reprise his role as the unquestioned starting center in Toronto.

During Friday's Media Day, Embiid (knee) said he's not ready to put a timetable on his return, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports.

Embiid said he feels "pretty good" and that's "made a lot of progress," but he'll continue to take things day-by-day. Embiid underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April, and while several reports indicated that he would be ready for training camp, it sounds like he's going to be limited to open the camp. As for his goal in 2025-26, Embiid said he wants to position himself to "play consistently." His health is going to be a hot topic for the next few weeks leading up to Opening Night.

Robinson isn't sure what his status will be for back-to-back situations during the 2025-26 season, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.

Robinson played in only 17 regular-season games during the 2024-25 campaign due to an ankle injury. However, the veteran center was able to return for the playoffs, playing in 18 games and starting four of those appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers. He averaged 4.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, shooting 60.8 percent from the field during the postseason. Considering his struggles to stay healthy over the course of his career, he'll always be a risk from a fantasy perspective.

Bamba and the Jazz agreed to a contract Thursday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

The terms of the deal have yet to be reported, but this may be a training camp deal. Bamba has bounced around the league quite a bit with stints in Orlando, both teams in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New Orleans. He holds career regular-season averages of 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.

Embiid is participating in live drills prior to the start of training camp.

Embiid had resumed partial basketball activities as of mid-July, and it's encouraging to see him on the floor engaging in basketball activities ahead of the preseason. Team president Daryl Morey has previously said the superstar big man was "on track" to recover from arthroscopic left knee surgery in time for training camp. However, the 76ers have not yet officially cleared him for Opening Night. Fantasy managers should continue to treat Embiid as a high-risk, high-reward proposition in drafts.