NBA Player News

The Pistons exercised the fourth-year option on Duren's rookie contract Monday, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reports.

By exercising Duren's team option, the Pistons will keep the 2022 first-round pick under team control through the 2025-26 season. Duren was an every-night starter for Detroit last year, and across 61 regular-season games during the 2023-24 campaign he averaged 13.8 points on 61.9 percent shooting, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.8 blocks over 29.1 minutes per game.

Sengun agreed to a five-year, $185 million rookie extension with the Rockets on Monday, Bobby Marks of ESPN.com reports.

Sengun's five-year extension includes a player option in the last year. The 2021 first-round pick is coming off a strong 2023-24 season during which he averaged 21.1 points on 53.7 percent shooting, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals across 32.5 minutes per game over 63 regular-season contests. He did miss the last 18 games of the regular season due to a Grade 3 right ankle sprain, but he was able to return for the start of training camp in late September and will be good to go for the start of the 2024-25 regular season. Sengun will remain an integral part of the Rockets' youth movement alongside Jalen Green and Jabari Smith.

The Jazz exercised the fourth-year rookie scale option on Kessler's contract Monday.

Kessler is now under contract through the 2025-26 season. After starting 40 games as a rookie, the big man made only 22 starts last year. He operated as a starter during the preseason, so an expanded role in Year 3 is possible, though it remains unclear if coach Will Hardy will let Kessler play 25-plus minutes a night consistently.

Sarr (calf) said Monday that he's hopeful to play Thursday against the Celtics for Opening Night, Varun Shankar of The Washington Post reports.

Sarr added that his calf feels great and that he's trending in the right direction. The Wizards diagnosed him with calf soreness, which was why he was held out of their final two preseason contests, but it sounds like the team was mostly erring on the side of caution.

Claxton (hamstring) is expected to play Wednesday against the Hawks for Opening Night, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reports.

Claxton was held out of the preseason, but the Nets have always expressed optimism about his availability for Opening Night. Nets coach Jordi Fernandez is likely to have big plans for his starting center this season, as Claxton agreed to a four-year, $100 million extension back in June.

Embiid (knee) was a limited participant at Monday's practice, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com reports.

Embiid was able to do everything but the final scrimmage, as the 76ers continue to exercise caution. This should be par for the course this season, as the franchise has made it very clear that they want to tread carefully. Embiid's status for Wednesday's game against the Bucks has yet to be determined, though Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that the big man may need to participate in multiple five-on-five scrimmages to improve his conditioning and build chemistry with his teammates before getting the green light to suit up.

The Clippers converted Jones' Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal Saturday, NBA reporter Chris Haynes reports.

Jones secured the Clippers' third and final two-way slot after averaging 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 24.2 minutes over his five preseason appearances. The 23-year-old projects to open the season as the Clippers' third-string center behind Ivica Zubac and Mo Bamba (knee), and Jones could end up heading to the G League if minutes are hard to come by.

The Bucks signed Robbins to a two-way contract Saturday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Robbins was competing with Anzejs Pasecniks for the final depth center position on the Bucks' roster and ultimately won. The big man spent last season with the Birmingham Squadron in the G League, but he will now start the 2024-25 campaign on the Bucks' roster. He will be available to provide depth in Milwaukee's frontcourt if needed.

The Raptors waived Carlson on Saturday, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Carlson was initially signed to a two-way contract but has been let go by the Raptors. He will enter the 2024-25 campaign as a free agent.

Sarr's calf soreness is not considered serious, but the Wizards have not confirmed his availability for Thursday's regular-season-opening matchup with the Celtics, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, struggled with his shooting efficiency during the preseason, but he did show flashes of contributions across the board. He missed the Wizards' final two exhibition contests due to calf soreness, and it sounds like Washington could err on the side of caution with the rookie when the regular season tips off. Should he ultimately miss any time, Patrick Baldwin would be a candidate to see increased minutes at power forward. More clarity on Sarr's status figures to come when the Wizards release their first injury report.