NBA Player News

James (rest) has been ruled out for Monday's preseason game against the Knicks, Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

James won't make his 76ers debut Monday and will be joined on the sidelines by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. James is dealing with chronic arthritis in his left foot as he prepares for his first season with the 76ers. His longtime trainer, Mike Mancias, is reportedly giving the 41-year-old's left foot special attention during his daily pre-practice routine while continuing to manage the lower-back issues that caused James to miss the first month of the 2025-26 regular season with sciatica. The arthritis isn't necessarily new, as James appeared on injury reports with left foot arthritis last season, but Philadelphia has already discussed managing his workload and back-to-backs, making his availability worth monitoring throughout his 24th NBA campaign.

Topic (back) will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Pelicans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Topic had been limited during training camp, so it's unsurprising that Oklahoma City will take a cautious approach with him in the preseason opener. The 21-year-old will travel to Tulsa, and his status will be worth monitoring ahead of the Thunder's remaining exhibition contests.

Embiid (rest) won't play in Monday's preseason game against the Knicks, Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Embiid, LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey and Anfernee Simons, among others, will take a seat for the preseason opener, leaving plenty of usage available for second-year guard VJ Edgecombe and rookie Labaron Philon. It's unclear if Embiid will suit up Thursday in Brooklyn, but the big man's workload will continue to be closely managed during the 2026-27 season.

Wallace will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against New Orleans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Wallace will travel with the Thunder despite being held out of the contest. With Oklahoma City resting several members of its regular rotation, younger players and roster hopefuls should receive extended opportunities Tuesday.

Caruso will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Pelicans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Caruso will still make the trip to Tulsa but is one of several rotation players being held out. The veteran guard should have opportunities to see preseason action later in Oklahoma City's five-game exhibition schedule.

Holmgren (rest) will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against New Orleans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Holmgren will travel with the Thunder but won't take the floor. His absence comes alongside several other prominent Oklahoma City players and appears to be part of the team's preseason workload plan.

Hartenstein (rest) will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Pelicans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Hartenstein will travel to Tulsa despite sitting out the contest. The veteran center is among several key rotation players whom Oklahoma City will hold out Tuesday as the club manages workloads during the preseason.

Williams (not injury related) is out for Tuesday's preseason game against the Pelicans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Williams will make the trip to Tulsa but won't suit up for the exhibition contest. Oklahoma City is expected to spread the workload among its roster during the preseason, so Williams should have opportunities to see action later in the schedule.

Gilgeous-Alexander will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Pelicans, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.

Gilgeous-Alexander will travel with the team to Tulsa but won't see game action. The absence appears to be part of Oklahoma City's plan to manage its primary rotation players throughout a five-game preseason slate, and there's no injury to report.

Simmons (not injury related) is not expected to play in Monday's preseason game against the Lakers, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com reports.

There is no injury to report, but Spears is hearing that the Kings want to ramp Simmons up cautiously. The point forward is targeting a return Oct. 8 against the Lakers or Oct. 10 against Golden State.