NBA Notes: Blazers, Ja Morant, Timberwolves, Cody Williams, Celtics

October 30, 2026

Trail Blazers

Ja Morant’s promising start in Portland has hit a familiar obstacle. He’s headed for another extended injury absence.

Morant has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in four weeks, the team announced. He was injured Thursday against Memphis, his first game against his former team.

The four-week mark is an evaluation date, so his absence could stretch beyond November.

Morant averaged 16.3 points and 6.3 assists in Portland’s first three games, all wins, while shooting 58.8% from the field. Now the Blazers will lean more heavily on Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, with Shaedon Sharpe already sidelined by a torn meniscus.

Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are keeping Terrence Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer under contract for 2027-28. Cody Williams’ situation will be different.

Minnesota is exercising its options on Shannon and Beringer but declining Williams’ $7.67 million option, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, via Hoops Rumors.

Williams remains under contract this season. The decision puts him on course for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Krawczynski reports that Minnesota has liked what it has seen from Williams, but the price was difficult to justify given its cap situation and his limited NBA production.

Shannon has averaged 14.2 points through five games, while Beringer has supplied 6.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Celtics

The Celtics picked up their 2027-28 options on Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Scheierman’s fourth-year salary of approximately $4.95 million is now guaranteed. He averaged 5.5 points and shot 39.9% from three in 77 games last season.

Gonzalez’s third-year option is worth about $3.06 million. He appeared in 74 games as a rookie, averaging 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds. Boston has another option decision on him next fall.