NBA Player News

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.

James made it clear Monday that he's entering his first season with Philadelphia with championship aspirations, though he acknowledged that the new-look roster will need time to develop chemistry, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

"I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round, I know that," James said. The veteran forward also stressed that Philadelphia's new group won't click immediately, pointing to practices, film sessions and time together on bus and plane rides as opportunities to accelerate the chemistry-building process. James will be tasked with quickly finding his place alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown as the 76ers attempt to turn their revamped roster into a contender.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic hinted Monday the Raptors will have a management plan for Leonard in 2026-27, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

Staying on the court has long been a major concern for Leonard, who didn't play in 2021-22 and hasn't made 70 regular-season appearances since 2016-17 with the Spurs. The focus for Toronto will be to keep the star forward healthy throughout the course of the year, which means Leonard could face sporadic absences. Although he carries plenty of risk in fantasy drafts for that caveat, Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game over 65 regular-season appearances for the Clippers last year.

Banchero drew praise from teammate Wendell Carter on Monday for the work he put in during the offseason, with Carter saying the star forward is "looking like young Paolo," Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Carter described Banchero as "very springy" and "very bouncy" after seeing him work out this summer, an encouraging assessment of his conditioning and athleticism heading into training camp. Banchero also said Monday that new head coach Sean Sweeney made an immediate effort to build a relationship with him after being hired, including traveling to Seattle to spend time with the 23-year-old during the offseason.

Gafford could have the green light to attempt occasional three-pointers this season, with head coach Dusty May encouraging the center to expand his offensive game, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

May said the Mavericks want Gafford to become more of a playmaking decision-maker on the perimeter and indicated that he'll be allowed to take rhythm threes as long as he earns those opportunities. Gafford has attempted just one three-pointer across his seven NBA regular seasons and has yet to make one, so any development of a perimeter shot would represent a significant change to his offensive profile. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.7 minutes across 55 regular-season appearances in 2025-26.