NBA Player News

Ayton (illness) will not play against Detroit on Thursday, Sean Highkin of RoseGardenReport.com reports.

Ayton will be considered day-to-day going forward. If Duop Reath (knee) is given the green light, he's expected to start at center for Portland.

Valanciunas (calf) is questionable for Friday's game against the Lakers.

JV was forced out of Wednesday's game after tweaking his calf, which resulted in Larry Nance starting the second half. If Valanciunas can't give it a go Friday, Nance would likely enter the starting lineup and would make for a quality fantasy target.

Jemison will come off the bench for Thursday's game against the Bulls.

No surprise here, as Jaren Jackson is returning from a two-game absence. But with Xavier Tillman traded away to Boston, Jemison could maintain a role in the short term. He was solid in Tuesday's loss to the Knicks, producing 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 32 minutes.

Drummond is not in the starting lineup to face the Grizzlies on Thursday.

Drummond got a starting nod against the Timberwolves on Tuesday in order to counter Minnesota's twin towers of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, but he heads back to bench versus Memphis. Ayo Dosunmu will move to the starting lineup alongside the regulars of late: Coby White, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

Lopez (personal) is good to go for Thursday's game against the Timberwolves, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reports.

Lopez is back after a three-game absence. Bobby Portis' minutes will likely be dialed back to the mid-20s with BroLo active.

Kleber (toe) will be available to play Thursday against the Knicks.

With Dereck Lively (nose) still out and Grant Williams heading to Charlotte, Kleber should remain a starter and get all the run he can handle. However, he's not the most consistent producer, so there are likely better streaming options available on Thursday's nine-game slate.

Sims (illness) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Dallas, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

Sims will be unavailable for a second consecutive game due to a non-COVID illness, and his absence leaves the Knicks particularly shorthanded following Thursday's trade deadline. Taj Gibson will likely continue to see increased playing time against the Mavericks.

Bagley (back) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Celtics.

Friday will mark Bagley's fourth straight game on the sidelines, but he could be available for the second leg of the back-to-back set Saturday against the 76ers. With Daniel Gafford being shipped away to Dallas on Thursday, the Wizards may be forced to give Kyle Kuzma considerable minutes at center if trade-deadline pickup Richaun Holmes isn't cleared to make his team debut. Once he overcomes his back injury, Bagley could have a big opportunity ahead of him to see sizable minutes as the Wizards' starting center now that Gafford is out of the picture.

Williams (back) won't play in Friday's game versus the Bucks.

Williams' absence streak will extend to 31 games Friday due to a back injury. There is no timetable for his return.

Young was waived by the Nets on Thursday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

Young was traded from the Raptors to the Nets on Thursday but will part ways with his new club a few hours after the transaction. He'll now seek out other opportunities to close out the 2023-24 campaign and could provide decent bench production for another team if he lands a contract.