NBA Player News

Ighodaro has a chance to begin the season as Phoenix's starting center after Mark Williams underwent shoulder surgery Thursday.

The expectation is that Williams will be on the shelf for about five months, likely ruling out the big man until sometime around the All-Star break. Ighodaro filled in serviceably when Williams was injured in 2025-26, as the former averaged a productive 8.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks in 27.4 minutes per game while shooting 67.4 percent from the field over 22 regular-season appearances with Williams unavailable. However, Ighodaro did shoot a paltry 40.8 percent from the free-throw line in those outings. Benjamin Garcia of the Locked On Podcast Network is hearing internal praise directed toward Khaman Maluach, who just averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals per game across four appearances in a dominant Summer League run, so the Suns appear to have an intense camp battle brewing for the top center spot in Williams' stead.

Williams underwent surgery Thursday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will miss an extended period, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

This is a tough blow for the center with training camp right around the corner. With Williams on the inactive list, Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach figure to see increased playing time, with the latter already drawing buzz during Summer League play. More clarity on Williams' timeline should be known in the coming weeks, and while nothing official has come from the Suns, Phoenix radio host John Gambadoro reports that the center could potentially miss around five months.

Bittle (lower leg) was spotted in a walking boot Wednesday, Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic reports.

Bittle missed Toronto's Summer League finale due to right knee soreness, though it's unclear exactly what he's dealing with now. The 23-year-old center out of Oregon signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Raptors in June and is set to compete for a spot on the regular-season roster at training camp, so his status will be worth monitoring moving forward.

Toohey (knee) signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors on Wednesday, Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports.

Toohey was selected by the Warriors with the 52nd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, though he was waived from his two-way deal in December before undergoing left knee surgery. The 22-year-old will compete for a spot on Golden State's regular-season roster in training camp, but it's unclear if he's fully recovered from the knee injury after missing Summer League.

With Walker Kessler now in Los Angeles, Jackson (knee) figures to be an even more essential piece for the Jazz in 2026-27, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Jackson was traded from Memphis to Utah in February, though he appeared in only three regular-season games for the Jazz before undergoing surgery due to a growth in his left knee. The 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year will look to make his presence felt on that end of the floor and anchor a now Kessler-less Jazz frontcourt. Jackson's two-way production will be crucial for a Utah team that's looking to return to playoff contention, and he hasn't averaged fewer than 18.6 points per game since the 2021-22 campaign, when he averaged 16.3 points per tilt for the Grizzlies.

Irving (knee) has been playing in pickup games this offseason in an effort to ramp up toward his return to the court in 2026-27, Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports.

Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in March 2025 and did not play in the 2025-26 campaign. The veteran point guard has had plenty of time to recover and will enter training camp having played in pickup games this summer. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 34-year-old enter the season on a minutes restriction, though it appears likely he'll be ready to play by Opening Night. Irving appeared in 50 regular-season games in 2024-25 before suffering the knee injury, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 combined steals-plus-blocks in 36.1 minutes per contest.

The Pacers may opt to slowly bring Haliburton back up to speed as he aims to return from a torn Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Jamal Collier of ESPN reports.

Haliburton torched the nets in the opening quarter of Indiana's Game 7 loss to the Thunder in the Finals, though he tore his Achilles before the end of the frame. The star floor general resumed 5-on-5 work in early April and said in late June that he felt like he was operating like a "healthy NBA player," per Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com. Although he's had plenty of time to recover since undergoing Achilles surgery, Haliburton may still need time to ramp up to a full workload after such a serious injury. The 26-year-old will look to return to form after averaging 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks while shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range in 33.6 minutes per tilt across 73 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Quickley enters next season with pressure on him alongside RJ Barrett in the Raptors' backcourt, according to Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic.

Although expectations in Toronto are rising, the anticipated arrival of Kawhi Leonard should help alleviate some of the offensive burdens on Quickley at point guard. Quickley went down with a strained hamstring late last season, but not before he recorded a career-high 70 regular-season starts and averaged a career-best 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.9 minutes per game. The 27-year-old also ranked sixth in the league among qualified players in assist to turnover ratio (4.1) last year, so Quickley's ability to orchestrate the offense efficiently should help him maintain mid-round fantasy value even if he slots in as perhaps the fourth scoring option behind Leonard, Barrett and Scottie Barnes.

Claxton is projected to start at center for the Bulls in the 2026-27 campaign, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.

The Bulls were left with a big void at the center position after dealing Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics for Anfernee Simons at last year's trade deadline, and they're looking for Claxton to help plug the hole in 2026-27 after coming over from Brooklyn. Claxton, who was a full-time starter with the Nets for the better part of the last four seasons, has generally been a strong source of boards and swats for fantasy managers, though his rebound and block rates as well as his shooting efficiency all essentially declined each year over that time. That said, the 27-year-old big man has an opportunity for a fresh start in Chicago, and he did take a step forward as a playmaker in 2025-26 in the form of a career-high 3.7 assists per game.

Reed will be in line for increased playing time and is expected to operate as the Pistons' backup center in 2026-27, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.

The Pistons remain in contract talks with Jalen Duren, but assuming the restricted free agent returns for at least one more season, Reed should operate as Detroit's primary backup center. The club traded Isaiah Stewart to the Grizzlies in June, and all signs point toward Reed taking on an increased role. The 27-year-old center played double-digit minutes in 42 of his regular-season appearances (11 starts) in 2025-26, averaging 10.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 62.6 percent from the field across 18.3 minutes per contest in those outings.