NBA Player News

Williams will miss the preseason after suffering a right hamstring injury, the Hornets announced Friday.

Williams will be re-evaluated the first week of the regular season, putting his status for Opening Night in the air. Williams will have a difficult path to minutes this season as he competes with the likes of Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale and Tidjane Salaun.

Knueppel will miss the preseason after suffering a left hamstring injury during an offseason workout, the Hornets announced Friday.

The Hornets say that Knueppel will be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season, putting his status for Opening Night on Oct. 21 in jeopardy. Knueppel is coming off a dominant rookie campaign with regular-season averages of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 47.5 percent shooting from the field.

Hawks president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh said Johnson has "multiple levels he can raise his game to" as the forward continues his development, Malik Brown of ClutchPoints.com reports.

"Jalen's really hard on himself, and we're hard on Jalen because we think he has multiple levels he can raise his game to," Saleh said. The comments suggest Atlanta will continue pushing Johnson to expand his game, and he's up for the challenge. Look for Atlanta's franchise player to be heavily involved on both ends of the court this season.

Siakam has been eligible since July 6 to sign a three-year extension worth up to $207 million with Indiana, according to Zion Brown of the Indianapolis Star.

Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan declined to discuss the team's extension plans, saying he prefers to keep contract matters confidential out of respect for players and their agents. Siakam's current contract runs through the 2027-28 season, so there doesn't appear to be immediate pressure for the two sides to reach a new agreement.

Acuff is projected to open the season as Sacramento's starting point guard, according to Brenden Nunes of KHTK Sactown Sports 1140.

Nunes views Acuff, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter and Domantas Sabonis as the Kings' most likely starting five. If Acuff does secure the starting job, the rookie should have an opportunity to handle significant minutes and playmaking responsibilities from the outset. Efficiency could be an issue early on given the learning curve at the position.

Lillard (Achilles) is expected to enter training camp without limitations, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic.

Toumani Camara has matched up with Lillard during pre-camp workouts and was particularly impressed by the veteran guard's first step and speed following his lengthy rehabilitation. Lillard appears to be making significant progress ahead of his return to game action, though his workload and availability during the preseason will still be worth monitoring.

Carr could be part of the Lakers' rotation as a rookie, according to head coach JJ Redick, Ryan Ward of SI.com reports.

Redick indicated that Los Angeles plans to utilize a deeper rotation this season, which could create an opportunity for Carr to earn minutes. The rookie will still need to establish himself during training camp and the preseason, but he appears to have a path to a regular role. Keep an eye on him in deeper formats.

Lakers president Rob Pelinka referred to Reaves, Luka Doncic and Walker Kessler as the team's "Big 3" while discussing the continuity of the roster, Ryan Ward of SI.com reports.

The comments reinforce Reaves' prominent role in Los Angeles' offense and suggest he should remain a major part of the team's plans alongside Doncic and Kessler this season. Fantasy managers can expect a mild bump in offensive usage with LeBron James out of the mix as well.

Kessler (shoulder) is fully healthy and has been cleared for the start of the season, according to Lakers president Rob Pelinka, Ryan Ward of SI.com reports.

Kessler underwent shoulder surgery back in November, but Pelinka said the big man is looking forward to playing in a lot of games this year. The 25-year-old appears on track to enter training camp without restrictions and should have a prominent role in Los Angeles' frontcourt with Luka Doncic setting him up with easy looks.

The Grizzlies waived Russell on Friday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

This has been the expectation for a while with the Grizzlies needing to trim their roster. This allows Russell the opportunity to join another team ahead of the preseason, though his market could be limited. Across 26 regular-season appearances with Dallas in 2025-26, he averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 19.0 minutes.