NBA Player News

Williams (knee) still hasn't been cleared for contact, Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland reports.

Williams has participated in non-contact portions of training camp, and head coach Chauncey Billups in encouraged by the veteran big man's progress from his March arthroscopic knee surgery. Williams still remains unlikely to be available for Thursday's preseason opener in Golden State and perhaps more exhibition play beyond that. In the meantime, Yang Hansen and Duop Reath will battle for backup center minutes behind Donovan Clingan.

Kessler (shoulder) didn't participate in Monday's scrimmage, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Kessler is dealing with left shoulder soreness and also missed Saturday's practice. The 24-year-old big man's status will be worth monitoring ahead of Wednesday's preseason opener against the Rockets. He's coming off a career-best campaign in 2024-25, during which he averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks across 30.0 minutes per game in 58 regular-season outings.

Niederhauser (back) is set to be available for Thursday's preseason opener against the Guangzhou Loong Lions, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.

Niederhauser sat out the end of the Las Vegas Summer League with a back injury, but he's healthy for the beginning of exhibition play. That said, the rookie first-rounder would likely need one of Ivica Zubac or Brook Lopez to go down with an injury in order to realistically carve out a meaningful role from the second unit during his first season.

Sarr (calf) participated in the non-contact portion of Monday's practice, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.

This was the first time that Sarr has been a partial participant in a practice since he injured his left calf during EuroBasket. Previous reports have indicated that Sarr could be ready to go by Opening Night, and a return during the preseason hasn't been ruled out yet.

Plumlee (coach's decision) did not play in Sunday's preseason loss to the Thunder.

Plumlee missed a chunk of training camp with an excused absence due to personal reasons. He was initially considered the favorite to start the 2025-26 season at center, but Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate are expected to challenge the veteran.

Kalkbrenner finished with 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-5 FT), seven rebounds, two steals and one block across 25 minutes of Sunday's 135-114 preseason loss to the Thunder.

Mason Plumlee was out for personal reasons, while Moussa Diabate started at center and played 13 minutes. The Hornets gave all their starters a light workload, while Kalkbrenner led the team in minutes despite coming off the bench. Kalkbrenner has been generating a lot of buzz at training camp, and even if he doesn't start on Opening Night, it seems inevitable that he will win this position battle at some point soon.

Ayton managed seven points (3-8 FG, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes during Sunday's 111-103 preseason loss to the Warriors.

Ayton struggled on the offensive end once again Sunday, scoring an inefficient seven points. Following a one-point performance in his debut for the Lakers on Friday, the hope was that Ayton would be more of a factor, especially against a team like the Warriors. Both LeBron James (pinched nerve) and Luka Doncic (rest) were sidelined once again, hypothetically pushing Ayton up in the offensive pecking order. While it is a very small sample size, Ayton will need to be more involved come Opening Night, should the Lakers hope to challenge in what promises to be a highly competitive Western Conference.

Horford totaled three points (1-3 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 14 minutes during Sunday's 111-103 victory over the Lakers.

Horford came off the bench as he made his debut for the Warriors, doing a little bit of everything in the victory. Despite the modest role, the expectation is that he will be in the starting lineup come Opening Night, serving as the primary center ahead of players such as Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Horford is most certainly in the twilight of his career at the point, although he should be able to provide Golden State with steady, albeit low-volume, production on both ends of the floor.

Kessler missed Saturday's practice due to left shoulder soreness, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Kessler missed the last five games of the 2024-25 campaign due to a concussion, and he now finds himself dealing with a shoulder issue ahead of the preseason. Kessler and the Jazz have been unable to agree on an extension, which seemed to be a sore spot for Kessler during the team's media day. The disconnect could be due to cap-management reasons -- potentially delaying an extension until next summer -- but that remains to be seen. Kessler remains uncertain to play in Wednesday's preseason game against the Rockets.

Hansen (rest) is participating in team scrimmages ahead of Wednesday's preseason game against the Warriors, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.

Hansen missed time during Summer League for rest purposes, but he appears to be healthy heading into preseason action. The 16th overall pick in the 2025 Draft has flashed potential early, but he faces plenty of competition in the frontcourt for a substantial role.