NBA Player News
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Mark Williams C | PHO
Suns' Mark Williams: Will have minutes limit
Head coach Jordan Ott said Williams (undisclosed) will have a "target number" during Wednesday's season opener against the Kings, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Williams was held out of the preseason in order to prepare for the season opener. The team's coaching staff appears to be taking a cautious approach with Williams as the Suns head into the 2025-26 campaign.
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Robert Williams III C | POR
Trail Blazers' Robert Williams: Won't play Wednesday
Williams (knee) won't be available for the season opener Wednesday against Minnesota, Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland reports.
The veteran big man was cleared for contact as of Monday's practice, but his rehab from March's arthroscopic knee surgery will extend into the regular season. Until Williams is ready to play, rookie first-rounder Yang Hansen should face little competition in the backup center role behind Donovan Clingan.
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Bismack Biyombo C | SA
Spurs' Bismack Biyombo: Makes Opening Night roster
Biyombo was included on San Antonio's Opening Night roster Saturday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
Barring any further roster changes, Biyombo is all set to act as center depth for the Spurs this season. The veteran big man spent time as the team's backup center last year, though he's expected to cede those responsibilities to Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk (heel) in 2025-26.
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Donovan Clingan C | POR
Trail Blazers' Donovan Clingan: Team option exercised
The Trail Blazers picked up Clingan's team option for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports.
This was Clingan's third-year team option. This transaction was never in any doubt for the franchise. Clingan is expected to be the starting center for the 2025-26 season, though he could be pushed by rookie Yang Hansen at some point soon.
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Mitchell Robinson C | NY
Knicks' Mitchell Robinson: Absent from practice
Robinson (load management) did not practice Tuesday, Steve Popper of Newsday reports.
Robinson has been sidelined for over a week due to load management. Coach Mike Brown continues to downplay this, but fantasy managers have every right to be concerned. Plus, it's already been reported that Robinson will miss some games for maintenance this season. His status for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers is very much in the air.
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Kel'el Ware C | MIA
Heat's Kel'el Ware: Probable for Wednesday
Ware (neck) is probable for Wednesday's game against the Magic, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Ware was held out of practice Monday, though it sounds like the team was being overly cautious. Coach Erik Spoelstra hasn't committed to a starting lineup yet, but Ware did not see a start alongside Bam Adebayo during the final three preseason games.
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Daniel Gafford C | DAL
Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Questionable for Wednesday
Gafford (ankle) will be listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Spurs, Christian Clark of The Athletic reports.
This was the expected injury designation for Gafford. The big man went through a partial practice Monday after doing some non-contact drills over the weekend. If Gafford's ankle responds well to the increased workload, he could get the green light to back up Dereck Lively at center for Opening Night.
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Maxi Kleber C | LAL
Lakers' Maxi Kleber: Out at least two weeks
The Lakers announced Tuesday that Kleber will be re-evaluated in two weeks due to a left oblique strain, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
Kleber had been expected to be a fringe rotation player heading into the season, but the injury will delay his 2025-26 debut and could make it difficult for him to capture a meaningful role once he's healthy. With LeBron James (sciatica) also sidelined to begin the season, the Lakers will likely rely on Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia as their primary options in the frontcourt.
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Jaxson Hayes C | LAL
Lakers' Jaxson Hayes: Off injury report for Tuesday
Hayes (wrist) is off the Lakers' injury report for Tuesday's game against the Warriors, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
Hayes exited Friday's preseason loss to the Kings due to a sprained right wrist but will return to game action in Los Angeles' regular-season opener. With Maxi Kleber (abdomen) in jeopardy of missing Opening Night, Hayes could see a slight uptick in minutes against Golden State. The 25-year-old center appeared in 56 regular-season games (35 starts) in 2024-25, during which he averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. He's expected to compete with Kleber for playing time behind Deandre Ayton in the 2025-26 campaign.
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Maxi Kleber C | LAL
Lakers' Maxi Kleber: Iffy for Opening Night
Kleber (abdomen) is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Warriors, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
Kleber is dealing with an abdominal muscle strain and is in jeopardy of missing the Lakers' regular-season opener. If the big man is ultimately ruled out, Jaxson Hayes will likely see a slight bump in playing time.