NBA Player News

Wagner (knee) won't play Thursday against the Hornets.

Wagner has yet to debut this season and remains without a timetable for a return. He can be considered doubtful for Saturday's game against the Wizards.

Poeltl (back) will not play Friday against Cleveland, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Poeltl won't travel with the team and will stay behind to rehab his back injury. His next chance to play comes Nov. 2 against the Grizzlies. Collin Murray-Boyles drew the start at center Wednesday against the Rockets and put up 13 points (5-8 FG), one rebound, two assists and three three-pointers.

Sabonis registered 18 points (8-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 126-113 loss to the Bulls.

This was the best assist total through four showings for Sabonis, who is typically a nightly triple-double threat. It was also his best scoring night thus far, as he finished with 18 points. Carving out shots will be difficult beside Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but Sabonis is capable of producing well-rounded box scores like this on any given night.

Vucevic contributed 13 points (5-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 126-113 win over the Kings.

Vucevic provides a steady source of points and rebounds year after year. He's notched a double-double in all but one game this season. The Chicago big man is also showing flashes of improvement as a passer. He followed up a nine-assist outing with seven more helpers Wednesday.

Washington exercised its 2026-27 team option on Sarr on Thursday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

This was a formality for the Wizards, with the team locking in their franchise center through the 2026-27 season with this $12.67 million option. Through the first four regular-season games, Sarr has been excellent with averages of 19.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers.

Hayes (knee) finished with two points (1-2 FG), three assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 13 minutes off the bench Wednesday in the Lakers' 116-115 win over the Timberwolves.

Back in action after missing the previous three games due to left knee patellar tendinopathy, Hayes slotted back into his usual role as the top backup to starting center Deandre Ayton. Aside from racking up four fouls, Hayes came through with a well-rounded line in his return, but he's unlikely to see his minutes rise much from this level while Ayton remains healthy and locked in atop the depth chart.

Bitadze totaled 10 points (5-5 FG), six rebounds, two assists and one block across 27 minutes during Wednesday's 135-116 loss to the Pistons.

Bitadze's role as the backup big man behind Wendell Carter has been steady, but he saw extended run Wednesday because Carter fouled out after just 18 minutes. This led to a bigger role for Bitadze, who made all five of his field goals and blocked a shot. While Bitadze's production may not warrant consideration on a roster, it is worth monitoring if he ever does get elevated to the starting lineup in place of Carter.

Queta closed Wednesday's 125-105 win over Cleveland with 10 points (3-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals across 26 minutes.

Queta has been a steady source of rebounds, averaging nine to start the season (and has logged at least 10 in consecutive contests). He has also been a source of defensive production, averaging 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals so far. Look for Queta to continue producing a similar stat line Friday against the 76ers.

Richards accumulated zero points (0-1 FG), two rebounds and one steal in 12 minutes during Wednesday's 114-113 loss to the Grizzlies.

Richards has appeared in all five games for the Suns, but he continues to see scraps off the bench with an average of 10.0 minutes per contest. Mark Williams seems to have found his stride, and the Suns are going to try and find minutes for rookie Khaman Maluach whenever possible. Richards' fantasy appeal is quite limited for the time being.

Kessler supplied 18 points (7-12 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 1-3 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 136-134 loss to the Trail Blazers.

After getting stuck at exactly nine rebounds in each of the first two games of the season, Kessler has two straight double-doubles while doing his usual job of protecting the rim. The fourth-year center is averaging 17.0 points, 10.3 boards, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks, 1.5 steals and a surprising 1.5 threes on 75.0 percent shooting (6-for-8) from beyond the arc.