NBA Player News

Washington exercised the third-year team option on Riley on Sunday, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Riley, the 21st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has averaged 9.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 blocks in 21.1 minutes over 78 regular-season appearances. After playing in 74 contests (18 starts) in 2025-26, Riley has fallen out of the rotation in 2026-27, playing just 2.8 mpg. Still, the Wizards like his potential for development as depth on the wing behind AJ Dybantsa, Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly.

The Wizards exercised the fourth-year team option on George on Sunday, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Washington selected George 24th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Since then, the 22-year-old has appeared in 122 regular-season games, averaging 11.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks in 27.7 minutes. Even with the Wizards' selection of AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick in 2026, George continues to start and remains a key piece of the organization's future.

The Wizards exercised the fourth-year team option on Carrington on Sunday, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Carrington was the 14th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and has spent his two-plus years as a pro in Washington. He's still yet to miss a single game as a Wizard, averaging 10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 28.5 minutes across 170 regular-season appearances.

The Wizards exercised the fourth-year team option on Sarr on Tuesday, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.

Sarr was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Since then, he has appeared in 121 regular-season games, averaging 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks over 27.0 minutes per contest. Sarr seemingly has All-Star upside, though injuries have certainly slowed down his progression.

Youngblood supplied three points (1-4 FG, 1-4 3Pt) in seven minutes during Saturday's 112-90 victory over the Jazz.

Youngblood earned his first minutes of the 2026-27 campaign after battling an ankle injury. Portland's backcourt is already loaded with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, but with Morant (hamstring) sidelined for an extended period, Youngblood could get some more run moving forward, although it shouldn't have much effect on the Blazers' rotation.

Walker supplied 12 points (5-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and six rebounds across 19 minutes during Saturday's 109-104 win over Charlotte.

After missing Philadelphia's previous three games with a knee injury, Walker returned and made a noticeable impact with LeBron James and Joel Embiid inactive. Walker posted season-highs in minutes, points and rebounds to help the Sixers win their third straight contest. However, when Philadelphia is healthy, his playing time will shrink substantially.

Claxton (hamstring) was a full participant in Sunday's practice, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network.

With Claxton progressing from individual drills Monday to full practice participation Sunday, he appears to be moving in the right direction in his recovery from a hamstring injury that's cost him the start of the regular season. More clarity on Claxton's potential regular-season debut should surface Sunday night, when the Bulls release their injury report for Monday's game in Philadelphia.

Atlanta exercised Newell's third-year option Sunday, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

With Atlanta exercising the option before the Nov. 2 deadline, Newell remains under team control through the 2027-28 season. The move offers roster certainty for the young forward, though it does not directly change his expected role this season or next.

Indiana recalled McConnell (hamstring) from the G League's Noblesville Boom on Saturday.

McConnell has been unavailable throughout the first few games of the campaign due to his issue but could be close to making a comeback for the parent team following a short stint with Noblesville. The experienced guard was quite active last season despite coming off the second unit in most of his outings, and a similar situation may be expected this campaign as soon as he's cleared to see action.

Wells logged four points (2-5 FG, 0-3 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal over 22 minutes during Saturday's 136-105 win over Sacramento.

Wells had the opportunity to operate in an expanded role Saturday due to the absences of Ty Jerome (back) and Scotty Pippen (back). However, Wells attempted a season-low five field goals and failed to score in double digits for the first time in the 2026-27 season. Through six games in October, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 threes over 27.2 minutes per contest.