NBA Player News

Grimes wants to establish himself as a starter during training camp, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

According to Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com, Grimes also said that he takes pride in his defense and will be ready to guard the opposing team's best player on a nightly basis, which should help him secure a regular starting role. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are all essentially locked in as starters to begin the season, though head coach JJ Redick will have training camp and the preseason to evaluate the final two spots. Grimes is coming off a productive 2025-26 season with Philadelphia, averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.9 steals in 29.4 minutes per game across 75 regular-season outings (19 starts). He shot a career-low 33.4 percent from three-point range last season but is still a career 36.6 percent shooter from deep.

Johnson signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hawks on Monday, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Johnson is set to join Atlanta for training camp, though the Hawks could waive him at any time since they own his G League rights. Over 32 appearances for the G League's College Park Skyhawks last season, he averaged 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks across 30.6 minutes per tilt.

Johnson (undisclosed) has been limited during training camp thus far, though head coach Dusty May said Monday that he's working his way back and getting close to practicing in full, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.

It's unclear what Johnson is dealing with, though the issue doesn't appear to be a long-term concern. Still, the 20-year-old's status will be worth monitoring ahead of Dallas' preseason opener against Houston on Friday, Oct. 9. The No. 9 overall pick in this year's draft, Johnson is fresh off winning a national championship at Michigan, where he averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per game in 40 outings.

The Hornets are waiving Dillingham (wrist) on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Dillingham was expected to serve as backcourt depth for Charlotte before being let go. It's unclear if the minor wrist surgery he underwent in the spring affected his standing with the club, but Dillingham was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and shouldn't take long to find another job in the league.

Scheierman is a candidate to start for the Celtics this season, per Bobby Krivitsky of Forbes.com.

Scheierman made a career-high 20 starts in the regular season last year and appears positioned to compete for a meaningful role on the wing at training camp. The Celtics appear steadfast in their commitment to play Payton Pritchard as their sixth man off the bench, leaving Scheierman to compete with the likes of Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh and Sam Hauser for a starting job.

Maluach earned significant praise from Devin Booker on Monday for the progress he's made during the offseason, Shane Young of the Suns' official site reports.

"I'd say he's taken the biggest leap of anyone I've seen this summer," Booker said of the second-year center. Maluach averaged just 8.9 minutes across 46 regular-season appearances as a rookie, but he followed that limited role with an impressive showing at Summer League. Booker's strong praise provides another encouraging sign that Maluach could be ready to take on a substantially larger role in Phoenix's frontcourt in 2026-27.

Jokic reiterated Monday that he intends to sign a new contract with the Nuggets next offseason, Brendan Vogt of TheDNVR.com reports.

"I'm going to sign next year, if they want me," Jokic said, adding that his decision to hold off on an extension this summer was purely business. The three-time MVP passed on a four-year extension worth $278 million and can become eligible for a five-year deal worth approximately $360 million next summer. Jokic has repeatedly expressed his desire to spend the remainder of his career in Denver, so his decision to delay a new deal appears financially motivated rather than an indication that he's considering leaving the Nuggets.

Head coach Mitch Johnson said he expects Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Fox to play together more during the regular season, per Raul Dominguez Jr. of the Associated Press.

Fox played through an ankle sprain for the Spurs during the NBA Finals, averaging only 12.8 points per game while shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from deep across the five Finals contests. The emergence of Dylan Harper last postseason has a serious threat nipping at Fox's heels for more playing time at point guard, but it sounds like the Spurs are willing to deploy all three in the lineup at times to accommodate for all their backcourt talent.

Huerter said Monday that he's healthy entering training camp after undergoing surgery during the offseason to address a groin injury, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Huerter said the injury initially occurred during his time with Chicago before he aggravated it during Detroit's first-round playoff series against Orlando. He underwent a cleanup procedure after the Pistons' postseason run ended and has since returned to full health, putting him on track to participate in training camp without limitations.

Wagner (calf) is eager for the new season to begin, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

After sitting out for Germany during FIBA World Cup action over the summer, Wagner appears to have a clean bill of health this fall. Ankle and calf injuries held Wagner to just 34 regular-season appearances last year, but the star forward was highly effective when healthy to the tune of 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game.