Plan for injuries in today’s NBA. There’s no way to avoid them

TrueHoop reported that almost twenty percent of NBA players have missed games to injury this season, with the combined salary of all injured players reaching about a billion dollars. According to The New York Times, staying healthy has become the league's Great Randomizer, and Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase stated, "As boring as it sounds, just staying healthy." Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti acknowledged that health luck plays a massive role that teams cannot control. Fantasy Alarm provided status updates on numerous sidelined players as of Monday, November 9, 2026. Anthony Edwards underwent arthroscopic debridement on his right knee on October 29 and faces up to two months out, though Minnesota expects a full recovery. Chet Holmgren received biological treatment on October 30 for a small patellar tendon tear and will miss eight to 10 weeks, prompting the Thunder to trade for Nique Clifford. Jalen Williams underwent surgery on October 28 to repair a fractured left fibula and reconstruct ankle ligaments after a fracture and dislocation. Tyrese Haliburton is week-to-week with a mild left hamstring strain following his recovery from an Achilles tear. Ja Morant sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on October 29, though coach Micah Nori reported a positive outlook from a Los Angeles doctor. Jaren Jackson Jr. was diagnosed with a torn MCL in his right knee on October 27 and will miss six to eight weeks. Kawhi Leonard completed treatment for left knee swelling, while Kristaps Porziņģis announced on social media on November 6 that he is stepping away from basketball due to POTS symptoms. Paolo Banchero is recovering from a right high ankle sprain with a four-to-six-week timeline reported by Shams Charania. Other notable injuries include Kon Knueppel re-aggravating his left hamstring for at least four weeks out, Brandon Ingram working back from a partially torn Achilles, and Luka Doncic sitting out with lower-back tightness. Conversely, players like Cooper Flagg, LeBron James, Nic Claxton, Max Strus, Anthony Black, and Ryan Cardwell have returned from the injury report.