NBA Player News

Dainja signed a training camp contract with the Nets on Monday.

Dainja is set to compete for a spot on Brooklyn's regular-season roster during training camp. The organization owns his G League rights, so he'll likely spend the 2026-27 season with the Long Island Nets if Brooklyn waives him.

Gordon is focused more on his health in an effort to avoid soft-tissue injuries after two injury-riddled seasons, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post reports.

"I need to be here much earlier and stay much later," Gordon said. "And I need to invest a lot more time warming up and a lot more time cooling down so I can be available for these guys." After appearing in just 51 regular-season games (42 starts) in the 2024-25 season, the veteran forward played in just 36 outings (33 starts) last regular season. Gordon missed 38 of Denver's 48 games from Nov. 22 to March 5 due to a right hamstring strain, and he also missed time in the team's first-round series loss to Minnesota with a calf injury. However, the 31-year-old is ready to go ahead of the 2026-27 season and seemingly has made his health more of a priority.

Champagnie said Monday that he's not really "paying attention" to whether he starts or not, Matt Guzman of SI.com reports.

Champagnie is instead focused on helping the Spurs win a title following their NBA Finals loss to the Knicks. The 25-year-old swingman is coming off a career year in which he started 68 of his 82 regular-season appearances, averaging 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 triples, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals while shooting 38.1 percent from deep in 27.6 minutes per contest. However, Tobias Harris is now in the mix, making it uncertain whether Champagnie will begin the regular season in the starting five. Still, he's fresh off signing a three-year, $45 million contract and figures to remain an important piece for San Antonio for the foreseeable future.

Head coach Tiago Splitter said Monday that Collins (toe) is dealing with a soft tissue injury and isn't expected to practice Tuesday, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports.

Collins' 2025-26 season was cut short after he underwent surgery in February due to a sprained toe on his right foot. It's unclear if the current soft tissue injury is related to the toe, but the big man's status will be worth monitoring ahead of Chicago's preseason opener against Phoenix on Wednesday, Oct. 7. If he's forced to miss time to start the regular season, Jalen Smith would have a much clearer path to playing time behind Nic Claxton.

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.