Welcome to our weekly Monday Morning NBA notebook, a quick hit of NBA news and injuries from around the league to catch you up on last week's action. Let's get into it.
Jalen Williams injury
This was gut-wrenching to watch Sunday night.
Late in Sunday's Thunder win over the Clippers, Jalen Williams drove hard to the rim and was met there by Derrick Jones Jr. in front and Kris Dunn in back. Williams went down at an angle, about to land on his back, but his left leg curled back under him and then was bent at an angle legs don't bend. Williams stayed on the ground for several minutes, with teammates around him, and the entire arena fell silent. Williams was lifted onto a stretcher and taken out of the arena.
While there are no details on the injury as of this writing, it looked very much like it could end his season. Williams had gotten off to a fast start this season after only being able to play in 33 games last season — and missing much of the playoffs — due to injury. This is a real blow to the Thunder.
Paolo Banchero out 4-6 weeks
The Orlando Magic just can't catch a break with health.
Paolo Banchero is out 4-6 weeks after suffering a Grade 1 high ankle sprain in a loss to Minnesota. Orlando will be without the All-Star who dropped 35 points with 10 assists in the opener against Atlanta. The offense now runs through Franz Wagner, who has struggled with his 3-point shot to open the season.
Jalen Suggs left Sunday's game following a non-contact knee injury, which is very concerning.
Injuries to their stars have been an ongoing issue for Orlando. Last season, Banchero and Wagner played in just 24 games together, mainly because Wagner missed considerable time with his own high ankle sprain. In the 2024-25 season, the duo played just 40 games together as both dealt with matching torn obliques.
Jalen Duren out at least two weeks
Detroit's All-NBA center and anchor in the middle on both ends of the court, Jalen Duren, is out at least two weeks with a strained right hamstring, the team announced on Sunday.
The @DetroitPistons today announced the following medical update on center Jalen Duren: pic.twitter.com/fZjGu5eLgc
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) October 25, 2026
Duren left Detroit's game against Miami in the second quarter after a drive to the rim against Giannis Antetokounmpo, where he instantly grabbed at the back of his leg and asked to be taken out of the game.
After a summer of contract drama, Duren started the season fast, with 22 points and nine rebounds in the Pistons' season-opening win against Boston. He will now miss games against the 76ers, Knicks and others.
Warriors exploring Kristaps Porzingis trade
Kristaps Porzingis' health concerns — his postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, has flared up again — and appears to have reached the point that he is seriously considering his future in basketball, according to the latest report.
With that, the Warriors, who gave Porzingis a two-year, $40 million extension last summer, are starting to explore the trade market for him (which is more about his salary only having $3 million guaranteed next year, making him an expiring deal). Not that they have a lot of options.
This is terrible for Porzingis, first and foremost, but it also adds to the Warriors' rough start in Golden State, they were counting on KP. "You can't deny the fact that Kristaps was plugged in our starting lineup," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Super talented guy, and his absence is definitely a blow."
Cooper Flagg injures shoulder
Cooper Flagg missed Saturday's Dallas home opener — a loss to San Antonio — and will miss more time with a mild left shoulder sprain, the team announced.
Flagg was injured and left Friday night's game against the Pacers after this foul by Aaron Nesmith. The good news is that Flagg avoided serious injury on what was a dangerous play. Flagg, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, had 32 points in the Mavericks' season-opening loss to Houston.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte agree to $209 million extension
The Hornets already made a big bet on Brandon Miller when they traded away LaMelo Ball, now they're putting their money behind it. Miller got the second-biggest rookie scale extension of the offseason, surpassing All-NBA center Jalen Duren in Detroit and All-Defense wing Amen Thompson in Houston (only the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama got a larger deal).
Miller, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has an All-Star-level game. He is a three-level scorer who averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game last season, while shooting 38.3% from 3-point range. He is also an improved and respectable defender. However, if he's going to live up to this contract, he needs to be more physical and put more pressure on the rim, and he needs to limit turnovers. To start the season, Miller is averaging 19.3 points per game.
Other News and Notes
• No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa missed the Wizards' first three games recovering from an ankle sprain, but is expected to return soon. Just not soon enough for Wizards fans, or basketball fans in general.
• The Timberwolves and Jaden McDaniels agreed to a one-year, $40 million contract extension that will keep the two-way forward in Minnesota through 2030. The Timberwolves see him as part of their core and needed defensively (especially with LaMelo Ball getting heavy minutes).
• Pelicans starting center Yves Missi is out with a left knee bone bruise, and while the team hasn't put a timeline on it, expect him to miss at least 2-3 weeks and potentially longer. While not ideal, that's much better than what was feared when he had to be carried off the court. Hopefully this opens the door for more Derik Queen (and Karlo Matkovic).
• Charlotte was without Kon Knueppel (hamstring), Grant Williams (hamstring) and Coby White (calf) in their first two games.
• The Lakers waived former No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht last week to get down to 15 players for the season, and the Knicks stepped in and signed him to a two-way contract. Knecht showed his potential early with the Lakers, but after they traded for Luka Doncic, what the Lakers needed from their wings changed, and that didn't fit Knecht as well. He was the odd man out in Los Angeles but deserved a shot somewhere.
• Speaking of injuries, the Pacers could use to get T.J. McConnell back from his hamstring strain.
• NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is good with LeBron James using a Fanatics-branded helicopter to commute from his home in New York to the 76ers' practice and training facilities.
"He has a [endorsement] deal with Fanatics," Silver said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "It's perfectly appropriate if part of his deal is they're going to supply a helicopter to him as long as it's just a deal between the Fanatics and LeBron and no team is involved; there's no rules issue there whatsoever."
• Dallas signed guard Walter Clayton Jr. to a two-way contract. Smart roll of the dice. Memphis waived Clayton before the season, but last season, his rookie season, he averaged 7.8 points and 4 assists per game, splitting the season between the Jazz and Grizzlies.
• While they wanted to keep him for culture reasons, financial reasons won out and the Dallas Mavericks waived veteran big man Dwight Powell, who had been with the Mavericks for the past 12 years.