The Trail Blazers waived Zeller (knee) on Tuesday.
With Portland bringing in four new players and sending out three in the deal the team completed with the Pelicans earlier Thursday, Zeller was cut loose to get roster down to the standard 15 players. The veteran center recently underwent surgery to address a patellar fracture, and he was expected to be sidelined until at least April. Trendon Watford is expected to continue serving as the primary backup to starting center Jusuf Nurkic.
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Trail Blazers' Cody Zeller: Waived by Blazers
Rotowire
Zeller (knee) was waived by the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Jay Allen of NBC Sports Northwest Rip City Radio 620 reports.
After undergoing knee surgery and being given an 8-to-10-week timetable, Zeller was ultimately waived by the Trail Blazers. He's a free agent this summer, though it remains to be seen how many teams will be interested given his extensive injury history.
Trail Blazers' Cody Zeller: Out 8-to-10 weeks after surgery
Rotowire
Zeller (knee) underwent surgery Tuesday to address a patellar injury and is expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The oft-injured center will miss a considerable chunk of time due to a right knee injury that he was previously trying to manage without going under the knife. He's appeared in just 27 games this season and last appeared in more than 60 games in 2016-17. At best, Zeller will return in time to play a handful of games before the regular season ends, but it's not clear if that would even make sense if the Trail Blazers are out of playoff contention. If we've seen the last of Zeller this season, he'll end his first campaign in Portland with averages of 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 13.1 minutes.
Zeller (knee) won't play Monday against the Magic, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.
Zeller will miss a third straight game due to right knee soreness. His next chance to suit up will be Wednesday against the Heat.
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Trail Blazers' Cody Zeller: Out Saturday
Rotowire
Zeller (knee) is out Saturday against the Wizards, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.
Zeller's right knee soreness will force him to miss a second straight game. Plenty of players on the Blazers are seeing extra run, including Nassir Little, Ben McLemore, CJ Elleby and Trendon Watford.
Zeller (knee) has been ruled out for Thursday's matchup with the Nuggets, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.
Zeller's knee injury has kicked back up and will keep him sidelined Thursday, leaving Portland with just 10 available players. The Trail Blazers' frontcourt is especially depleted with Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington as the only true big men available. These two should be expected to have very large roles in this contest.
Zeller is doubtful for Thursday's game against the Nuggets due to right patellar soreness, Jamie Hudson of KOIN 6 News Portland reports.
Zeller has appeared in three games since returning from a knee injury, but it's flared up again, and he'll likely need to take a game off. More minutes could be available for CJ Elleby and Nassir Little.
