League news / Published 2026-10-29

Edwards surgery and a Thunder double blow: the NBA's early injury wave

Anthony Edwards had knee surgery, Oklahoma City lost two starters in one night and several contenders are already short-handed. Here is what each absence changes.

A flat drawn indoor court from behind the free-throw circle: five plain white sneakers lined up under the baseline, a dark duffel bag with a towel at the end of the row, and a basketball on the arc below the hoop; no lettering, logos or people.
Conceptual editorial illustration, not a photograph of any player or training room.

THE SHORT VERSION

  • Anthony Edwards had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Thursday; Minnesota expects him back this season but has no timetable.
  • Oklahoma City lost Jalen Williams to a broken leg and dislocated ankle and Cason Wallace to a torn labrum in the same Sunday game, with Williams' injury likely season-ending.
  • Toronto, Orlando, Utah and Indiana are also without starters, and the absences already shape how the Western Conference race looks.

Two weeks in, the injury report looks like midseason

The 2026-27 NBA season is two weeks old, and the injury report already looks like a midseason one. Anthony Edwards had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Thursday. Oklahoma City lost Jalen Williams to a broken leg and a dislocated ankle and Cason Wallace to a torn labrum, both in the same Sunday game. Toronto is without Kawhi Leonard, Orlando without Paolo Banchero, Utah without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Indiana without Tyrese Haliburton for the immediate future.

None of this follows from a rule change or a compressed schedule. It is the ordinary attrition of an 82-game season, arriving early enough to shape how the standings look by December. The teams affected are not fringe clubs: Oklahoma City was widely expected to contend for a second championship in three years, and Minnesota rebuilt its backcourt around Edwards and LaMelo Ball during the offseason.

Oklahoma City lost two starters in one night

Oklahoma City's losses are the most severe. Jalen Williams needed surgery for a broken leg and a dislocated ankle, an injury the AP describes as likely to end his season. Cason Wallace tore his labrum in the same game. Both players were hurt on Sunday night, and both were starters for a team that had been the Western Conference's benchmark.

General manager Sam Presti did not pretend the club was ready for it. "We have a unique experience with this. It's not something you want to have a lot of experience with, but we do," he said. Presti added that the front office is "very process-oriented," an approach he said "keeps you humble in good times and keeps you stable when you're going through some adversity." Oklahoma City has absorbed major injuries in recent seasons, which is the only reason a plan exists at all.

Minnesota chose the long view with Edwards

Minnesota's case is different because the decision was a choice. Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations, said the Timberwolves expect Edwards to be "good as new" after the cleanup procedure, with a timetable that could run weeks or months. An MRI on Tuesday found new damage that earlier scans had missed, and Connelly said the goal was Edwards' long-term health rather than the next month of games.

The history explains the caution. Right knee pain limited Edwards to a career-low 61 games last season, and he then hyperextended his left knee in the playoffs and played through a deep bone bruise. This season he scored 47 points in an overtime loss at Cleveland on Monday and had 133 points through four games, a franchise record. Connelly said Edwards consented to the surgery "kicking and screaming."

Replacing 33.3 points per game

The basketball problem is replacing 33.3 points per game. Coach Chris Finch called the news "a bit of a shock to everybody" and said the scoring would have to be filled "by committee." Minnesota's backcourt depth, built around Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland, is the reason the team can try that rather than search for a scorer in November.

One absence compounds another. Donte DiVincenzo, who started all 82 games last season, tore his right Achilles tendon in the same playoff game in which Edwards hyperextended his left knee, and he is still out. Minnesota's opener showed how the Edwards-Ball pairing was meant to work, as our look at that game described; the next month will show what the offense looks like without half of it.

Toronto is without Kawhi Leonard again

Toronto's situation is less severe but familiar. The Raptors will be without Leonard for at least a week, probably more, because of knee swelling, though the team says there is no acute injury in the left knee. For a player with Leonard's history, any sentence that contains the word knee is a warning.

RJ Barrett's response was the practical one. "Part of the game," he said. "Obviously we wish everybody could play every game, but injuries are part of the game. That's why you have a whole team. ... Until he gets back, we've got to figure it out." Toronto's running game has been built around Leonard's availability before, as our report on his last return noted.

Orlando, Utah and Indiana join the list

The Eastern and Western lists keep growing. Orlando is without Banchero for perhaps a month because of a high ankle sprain and without Jalen Suggs for a couple of weeks because of a knee issue; the initial fear on Suggs was worse than the diagnosis. Utah lost Jaren Jackson Jr. for perhaps two months with a torn knee ligament.

Indiana's case is the most layered. Haliburton missed last season after tearing an Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and he is now limited by a left hamstring issue. Coach Rick Carlisle told an Indianapolis radio station that the team hopes the hamstring is "not a big deal or not any kind of a long-term thing," and that a specialist had been enlisted to work out the next steps. Our story on his return game explains how Indiana used him when he was available.

The list runs deeper than the headline names

The absences go beyond the names above. Sacramento's Ben Simmons tore an Achilles before the season started and will miss another year. Golden State's Kristaps Porzingis is away from the team while dealing with a health issue. Jimmy Butler III and DiVincenzo remain sidelined by major injuries from last season.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr described the wider cost. "It's just brutal for the league when all these superstar players who are so incredible to watch are injured and out," he said. Banchero's version was shorter: "It's very early in the season. There's a lot out in front of us." The standings in December will show whether these absences were a two-week story or the shape of the season.

Sources & reporting limits

  1. The NBA season just started, and injuries already are a big story across the league
  2. Timberwolves say Anthony Edwards will be 'good as new' with no long-term concern after knee surgery
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