NBA Player News

Embiid (knee) has been ruled out for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Bucks and likely won't play Friday in Toronto, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.

The Sixers announced that Embiid continues to respond well to his individualized plan and is expected to begin ramping up for game action soon by participating in scrimmages. However, the former MVP could miss up to three games before being re-evaluated, opening up a huge opportunity for Andre Drummond.

Koloko (illness) will not play in Tuesday's regular-season opener against the Timberwolves, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.

Koloko signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in September. Though the Lakers had optimism that Koloko would be ready to go for the start of the regular season, he has yet to be cleared by the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel after being diagnosed with blood clots in January. Whenever he's cleared for game action, Koloko will likely spend most of the campaign in the G League with the South Bay Lakers.

Davis (rest) is available for Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Timberwolves.

Davis sat out the Lakers' final preseason game due to rest purposes, but he seems to be fully available for Opening Night. The All-Star is coming off a career-high 76 regular-season appearances last season, during which he averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 combined steals plus blocks across 35.5 minutes per game.

Reid (shoulder) is available for Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Lakers.

Reid missed the final two preseason games for Minnesota due to shoulder inflammation, though he is expected to be fully ready for Opening Night. The big man will likely receive his normal share of playing time off the bench behind Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle in the frontcourt.

Fernando earned the 15th spot on the Raptors' roster Monday, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports.

The Raptors claimed Fernando off waivers in July after he was let go by the Hawks. The 2019 second-round pick averaged 15.2 minutes per game across 45 regular-season contests last year, and while he's buried on the Raptors' depth chart, Fernando could see some playing time early on during the 2024-25 regular season if Kelly Olynyk (back) and Chris Boucher (knee) were to be sidelined.

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.