Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (knee) was originally facing a decision between multiple different knee surgeries, which ranged in recovery time from a couple of months to the whole season. Unfortunately, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, Williams will have to undergo season-ending surgery to make sure his knee can hold up for the long run. The 26-year-old previously had knee surgery last year while he was still with the Boston Celtics and came back a couple of months later, but it seems that wasn't enough for his long-term health. Now that he's with the Portland Trail Blazers, he should have plenty of time to recover as they play the tanking game.

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (knee) will undergo surgery. Although most are already aware of the impending operation, Shams Charania of The Athletic provided an update on Monday night, reporting that Williams may require season-ending surgery to repair bone and ligament damage in his right kneecap. Alternatively, he could opt for a cleanup procedure, which would likely keep him off the floor for two to three months. The 26-year-old, who was traded to Portland in October after spending his entire career with the Celtics, averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals in six games this season. Williams battled a nagging left knee issue during his days in Boston, so fantasy managers were already down on him entering the 2023-24 campaign. However, Williams' production has decreased, and he'll be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, meaning he can be dropped in season-long formats.

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (knee) will now need right-knee surgery, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The details behind the exact surgery and the timetable for his recovery are still to be determined, but it seems like he'll be missing a significant amount of time. Fantasy managers will want to stay tuned to get any updates about the type of surgery he'll need. He did undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee last season and missed the first two months of the year. Deandre Ayton should see more minutes in the starting lineup while Toumani Camara may get some more time at the five. Moses Brown could emerge as a fantasy contributor if he finds some more opportunities.

The Portland Trail Blazers are sitting center Robert Williams III (rest) for Monday's game against the Toronto Raptors for maintenance purposes. There's not much to see here, with Portland exercising abundant caution on the second half of a back-to-back set for a big man who has been encumbered by knee issues over the past two seasons. The 26-year-old interior presence is averaging 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 23.0 minutes in three games as a reserve for the Blazers thus far. More will be asked of Deandre Ayton sans Williams on Monday, while head coach Chauncey Billups may have to go small at times with Toumani Camara and Jabari Walker playing a bit at the five off the bench.

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (knee) has been given the green light for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams missed his second consecutive preseason due to a knee injury, but head coach Chauncey Billups expressed optimism last week that the big man would be active for the start of the regular year. The 26-year-old hovered around the top 75 9-category players with the Boston Celtics a year ago, but his fit in Portland is a questionable one for fantasy purposes. We don't expect Williams to spend much time alongside starter Deandre Ayton, relegating the former to a consistent reserve role when the latter is healthy. We've seen the "Time Lord" get it done in limited action before, however, but his block rate has descended in recent years. Williams is strictly a limited source of rebounds, blocks, and field-goal percentage at the campaign's onset.

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (knee) is trending in the right direction, with head coach Chauncey Billups saying that he expects the former Celtic to be ready for the team's season opener. The new-look Blazers begin their campaign on Wednesday versus the Clippers. Williams III has sat out the entire preseason with a knee issue. He banged knees with Jerami Grant in practice and considering Williams III's injury history, it's not surprising to see Portland being cautious with him. Williams III will remain a backup behind Deandre Ayton at his new club, but fantasy managers should still be able to squeeze some good production out of him if he's in the lineup. That's a big "if," though, as Williams III has played only 209 career games in five seasons and was limited to 35 appearances in 2022-23.

According to ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics traded center Robert Williams III and guard Malcolm Brogdon to Portland in exchange for guard Jrue Holiday. The 25-year-old has averaged 7.3 points and 6.9 rebounds since entering the league. He's also one of the best defenders in the National Basketball Association, logging 1.7 blocks in 209 games. Unfortunately, Williams has battled injuries throughout his career, most recently appearing in 35 games in 2022-23. With Deandre Ayton now in Portland after being sent in the blockbuster move involving Damian Lillard, Williams' fantasy outlook doesn't appear as promising as it would have been in Boston.

It's a crazy time of year around the National Basketball Association. Not long after the Denver Nuggets captured the franchise's first championship, French big manVictor Wembanyama was the top pick of the 2023 Draft.While new talent entering the league is all well and good, nothing turns the NBA upside down quite like the beginning of free agency. Since June 30, many notable players have signed with new teams. There were also more than a few significant trades. In either case, at least a handful of clubs will look very different (for the better?) come training camp. Let's take a look at some of the biggest names on the move and how they might affect the NBA landscape this season. 

Fred VanVleet - Houston Rockets

The Rockets entered the 2022-23 campaign as the second-youngest team in the National Basketball Association, and it showed. The club finished with 22 wins and 60 losses, with the Pistons being the only team with a worse record. As a result, the front office made a point to shake things up after the exhaustingly long year came to a close.The overhaul began when Stephen Silas, winning just 59 of his 236 games in Houston, was relieved of his head coaching duties. In his place, Ime Udoka, who helped guide the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance in his first season, took the reigns. While Udoka's tenure in Boston didn't end on a positive note, he's still regarded as one of the sharpest minds in the league, even by those who lost respect for him on a personal level.https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1650612243661242369?s=20While having a knowledgeable head coach will help accelerate the growth of an up-and-coming squad, the Rockets needed someone to facilitate things on the floor. With Houston having plenty of cap space entering the offseason, the team signed ... [More]

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III reportedly had to deal with a bad case of the stomach virus during the Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Williams was throwing up even during the game. He was only able to play 14 minutes and Charania reported that he would come out of the game periodically to throw up. This adds another health matter to the long list of issues that the Celtics faced during their lopsided loss.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III isn't listed on the injury report for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus Miami. The 25-year-old briefly exited Game 6 on Saturday night after suffering a hand injury. However, DFS managers should plan on him being out there, considering a trip to the NBA Finals is on the line. Williams has averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks during this series, making him an excellent fantasy option for those looking for value on Monday evening.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and one block in the win over Miami on Saturday night. The big man played only 17 minutes, exiting briefly because of a hand injury. However, he remained a productive component for the C's despite his limited workload, and his length should keep him on the floor for the remainder of the postseason. That said, there's a chance Williams will make an appearance on the injury report heading into Game 7. Assuming the 25-year-old gets the green light to suit up, he should continue to provide plenty of value for DFS participants.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III finished with 13 points in the Game 2 loss to the Heat. The 25-year-old only had three rebounds. However, he made up for it by adding two blocks and a steal while shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field. Williams' DFS rostering cost has been a bargain throughout the postseason. While the big man usually plays around 25 minutes per game, he remains on the fantasy radar for Game 3 on Sunday, even if he gets pulled from the starting lineup.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III will stay in the starting five for Game 1 against the Miami Heat according to head coach Joe Mazzulla. The 25-year-old big man wasn't starting for most of the postseason until the final two games against Philadelphia. He was a big part of slowing down Joel Embiid and ultimately turning up the defensive pressure to win that second-round series. Now, the Celtics will hope he does the same with a versatile Bam Adebayo on the opposite side. As a starter this season, Williams averaged 8.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III will shift into the starting five for Thursday's Game 6 versus the Philadelphia 76ers. The big man hasn't started at all during the postseason. However, Williams started 20 games during the regular season, but missed a lot of time due to injury. The Celtics are attempting to slow down Joel Embiid who has been frustrating them all series long. Williams is one of the best defenders on the roster, so this is a good move on paper. Williams averaged 8.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as a starter this season.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (knee) will be kept out of action Tuesday against Philadelphia. It's the second straight game he misses, but fantasy managers shouldn't panic, as the Celtics simply find themselves in consecutive back-to-back situations and the team is simply trying to manage Williams III's workload. He should be ready to go again Wednesday versus Toronto. Al Horford, who sat out the last game, will be back to carry most of the frontcourt workload, while Blake Griffin and Mike Muscala should share the backup minutes behind him.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (knee) is available for Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. There was some concern that Williams would miss this game because it's the front end of a back-to-back set. The Celtics have been cautious with Williams as he works his way back from injury. Despite that, it sounds like Williams should play his normal role off the bench. Fantasy managers should double check their lineups to make sure Williams is in there.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The big man continues to work his way back into the rotation after dealing with a lingering knee injury. The Celtics could be cautious here and rest Williams in the first game of a back-to-back set on Thursday. They've been having Williams come off the bench lately. It's not because of a lack of production, but the Celtics don't want to rush things with Williams. Fantasy managers should check back on Thursday for another update on his status.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (hamstring) will come off the bench in his return Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings. Williams is returning from an eight game absence, but will not be returning to the starting lineup right away. It remains yet to be seen if this is a permanent change or if Williams will have a reserve role until he is fully back to game shape.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (hamstring) is expected to return within the next week or so, according to head coach Joe Mazzulla. He has missed each of the last five games due to a lingering hamstring issue. It sounds like March 21 against the Sacramento Kings is the next chance that Williams could play. In the meantime, the Celtics are likely to use a committee approach to fill the void. That means, Grant Williams, Al Horford, and Blake Griffin will continue seeing more involvement in the rotation. Fantasy managers will have to check back for another update on Williams later in the week.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (hamstring) will sit out a sixth consecutive game Wednesday versus Minnesota. He's dealing with a left hamstring strain and will have his next opportunity to return Friday against Portland. Blake Griffin has found his back into the Celtics rotation in Williams III's absence, while Al Horford continues to do most of the work in the paint. Mike Muscala is another frontcourt option for Boston, but the team hasn't used him for a total of two minutes across the last three games.