NBA Player News

Dort won't play in Monday's preseason game against the Grizzlies due to a right knee contusion, Kevin Chouinard of the Hawks' official site reports.

The veteran swingman will be held out of Atlanta's preseason opener, leaving more minutes available for the likes of Corey Kispert, Aaron Wiggins and Jalen Wilson. Dort's next chance to play in the preseason will come Thursday against the Spurs.

McCollum is out for Monday's preseason opener against the Grizzlies due to a nose contusion, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

McCollum is dealing with a bruised nose and will skip Monday's exhibition, but it shouldn't affect his status for the regular-season opener. His next chance to play will come Thursday in San Antonio.

Irving is fully cleared after a 19-month recovery from an ACL tear, and he will suit up for the Mavericks during the preseason, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.

It sounds like Irving will be good to go for Friday's exhibition against the Rockets in China, although he'll likely have his minutes heavily monitored during the preseason. Irving offers first-round upside, but he's had trouble staying on the court throughout his career.

Sarr said he took part in the Wizards' 5-on-5 full-contact work during Monday's practice, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Sarr is ramping up after undergoing right foot surgery in June. He appears likely to be ready for the start of the regular season, though it's unclear how much action he'll see during the preseason. Across 48 regular-season appearances in 2025-26, he averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 blocks and 0.8 steals in 27.2 minutes per showing.

Brown will make his 76ers debut in Monday's preseason game against the Knicks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Among others, LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will all sit out the Sixers' preseason opener, though Brown will suit up. The star forward was traded to Philadelphia on July 1 following a career year with Boston in 2025-26, during which he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals across 34.4 minutes per game in 71 regular-season outings.

Randle is expected to make his Nets debut in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Hornets, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reports.

Randle has been a full participant throughout training camp and will get his first opportunity to play alongside his new teammates Tuesday. Coach Jordi Fernandez has experimented with using Randle in several ways offensively, including as a ball handler, in dribble handoffs and as a playmaker out of the short roll.

The Hornets announced Monday that White suffered a left calf strain during training camp and will not play during the preseason.

White missed time with a left calf strain last season and is now in jeopardy of starting the regular season on the inactive list. If the 26-year-old guard is forced to miss time beyond the preseason, Christian Anderson and Dennis Schroder would likely see increased playing time.

DiVincenzo (Achilles) remains confident that he'll return during the 2026-27 season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports.

DiVincenzo is approaching six months since tearing his right Achilles during the first round of the playoffs and has been rehabbing with the expectation that he'll play at some point this season. The veteran guard has sought advice from Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard during his recovery, though Minnesota has yet to establish a timetable for his return.

Diabate was spotted working with the first unit in Friday's practice.

Although he began the 2025-26 season in a reserve role, Diabate started 47 of his 73 regular-season appearances, averaging 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals across 26.0 minutes per contest. He faces added competition for playing time this year with Hannes Steinbach and Naz Reid now in the mix. However, it appears likely Reid will start at power forward, while Diabate battles for center minutes with Steinbach and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Battle (lower back) was a limited participant in Monday's practice, Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic reports.

The severity of the lower-back issue is unclear, though it kept Battle out of last Saturday's preseason-opening loss to the Heat. He'll look to continue making progress in practices ahead of Saturday's preseason matchup with the Clippers.