| Prefer us on Google — see Tips.gg in Top Stories & Discover | Add on Google |
The 2026-27 NBA season will feature one of the more significant waves of returning talent in recent memory. Kyrie Irving hasn’t appeared in a game since March 3, 2025, when he tore his left ACL. He is one of several marquee players — including Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton — who missed all of last season and are scheduled to be back on the floor. The physical toll of major ligament injuries is well documented, and the mental grind of extended rehab is equally punishing. When these players return, the reward is real — for them and for the teams counting on them.
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Lillard, 36, last played in the 2025 playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks, tearing his left Achilles in Game 4 against Indiana. He sat out the entire 2025-26 season. He rejoined the Portland Trail Blazers — the franchise that drafted him in 2012 — in free agency a year ago. In 2024-25, he was a two-time All-Star averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 37.6% from three. The central question entering 2026-27 is whether he can return to that level and how he fits alongside new teammate Ja Morant.
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Haliburton, 26, suffered a torn right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals between Indiana and Oklahoma City and missed the entire 2025-26 season. He recently addressed his recovery on his YouTube channel.
“I can pretty much say I’m back at this point. I feel like I’m back in shape, but there’s a difference between being in shape and being in Tyrese Haliburton shape.”
He was an All-Star and All-NBA performer in 2024-25, averaging 18.6 points, 9.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds. The Eastern Conference is deeper now — the New York Knicks are the defending champions — but the Indiana Pacers believe a healthy Haliburton puts them among the conference’s top teams.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Irving, 34, tore his left ACL on March 3, 2025 — his last competitive appearance. A nine-time All-Star, he was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.1% from three and 91.6% from the line at the time of the injury. He had already helped the Dallas Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA Finals, and his return carries enormous weight for a franchise looking to contend again.
Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors
Butler, who turns 37 on September 14, played 38 games for the Golden State Warriors last season before tearing his right ACL on January 19. He was averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.6% from three. Golden State was 25-19 at the time of his injury and finished the season at 37-45 without him.
Ja Morant, Portland Trail Blazers
Morant, 27, missed 62 games last season — including 46 of the Memphis Grizzlies‘ final 48 — with a left elbow injury. Before trading him to Portland, Memphis confirmed he was expected to make a full recovery ahead of 2026-27. A two-time All-Star with a career that stalled due to injuries and off-court issues, Morant gets a fresh start alongside Lillard in Portland.
Trae Young, Washington Wizards
Young played just 15 games last season — 10 with the Atlanta Hawks and five with the Washington Wizards after the trade — battling right knee, right quad and back problems. He missed significant stretches throughout the season. Young, who turns 28 on September 19, is a four-time All-Star, an All-NBA selection in 2021-22 and led the league with 11.6 assists per game in 2024-25. He is capable of 24 points and 10 assists per night, and 2026-27 is a defining season for him to prove that form is still attainable.
Anthony Davis, Washington Wizards
Davis, 33, has appeared in just 71 games over the past two seasons. Last season, he played 20 games with the Dallas Mavericks before a trade to Washington, where a ligament injury in his left hand ended his season without a single appearance for the Wizards. An All-Star in 2024-25 and an All-NBA and All-Defensive selection in 2023-24, the question is whether he can still perform at a 20-10 level and sustain it across a full season.
Fred VanVleet, Houston Rockets
VanVleet, 32, missed all of last season after tearing his right ACL during a pre-camp workout before the 2025-26 season began. A 2022 All-Star with championship pedigree, he returns to a Houston Rockets roster the organization believes is among the West’s best, with Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Steven Adams also on the roster.
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Sabonis, 30, missed 63 games last season — including the Sacramento Kings‘ final 30 — with a torn meniscus in his right knee. A three-time All-Star and third-team All-NBA selection in 2022-23 and 2023-24, he averaged 19.1 points, a league-best 13.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 59% from the field and 41.7% from three in 2024-25.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Utah Jazz
Jackson Jr. missed the final 27 games of the regular season after surgery to remove a growth in his left knee. The Utah Jazz acquired the two-time All-Star and 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year from Memphis at the February trade deadline, and he appeared in just three games with his new team. In 48 games during 2025-26, Jackson — who turns 27 on September 15 — averaged 19.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 47.6% from the field and 35.7% from three.
Zach LaVine, Sacramento Kings
LaVine, 31, underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right shooting finger and missed Sacramento’s final 29 games. He was averaging 19.2 points on 47.9% shooting from the field and 39% from three at the time. The Kings are eager to evaluate their full roster with both a healthy LaVine and Sabonis on the court alongside Maxime Raynaud, Keegan Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Nique Clifford, Precious Achiuwa, Malik Monk and rookies Darius Acuff Jr. and Alex Karaban.
Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Edey made the All-Rookie team in 2024-25, averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game while shooting 58% from the field. His per-36-minute splits were 15.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He played in just 11 games last season, requiring two surgeries on his left ankle and one on his left elbow. He is a central piece of Memphis’ rebuilding efforts going forward.
Walker Kessler, Los Angeles Lakers
Kessler, standing 7-2, played in Utah’s first five games last season before missing the remaining 77 with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. In 2024-25, he averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 66.3% from the field. Utah traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in July for two first-round picks, with the Lakers addressing a clear need at center. His development is a priority in Los Angeles.
Read also: Enes Kanter Freedom Ejected After Courtside Confrontation with Sky’s Natasha Cloud
Follow TipsGG for ongoing coverage of these players’ returns and the impact they have on the 2026-27 NBA season.