NBA Rumors: Blazers' Robert Williams III to Get Knee Surgery; Injury Could End Season

Portland Trail Blazers' center Robert Williams III is expected to undergo right knee surgery to repair an injury that he sustained Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Williams is facing potential season-ending surgery to repair bone and ligament damage. His doctors and agent are also discussing an option to clean the injury up that would keep him out 2-3 months.

Williams has played in six games in his first season with the Blazers, averaging 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Williams suffered the injury during the second half against the Grizzlies and was taken to the locker room. He was ruled out with just a few minutes remaining in the Blazers' loss.

One of the key pieces in the Jrue Holiday trade to the Boston Celtics, Williams was expected to provide some much-needed interior defense and rim protection to a young Portland squad that is trying to rebuild following the trade of franchise legend Damian Lillard in the offseason.

Williams and Malcolm Brogdon and two future first-round picks were sent from the Celtics to the Blazers in exchange for Holiday, who was flipped to Portland when Lillard got dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks.

It seemed like a pretty good haul for general manager Joe Cronin but the Williams' injury will be a big blow if he is out for the rest of the season. The All-Defensive team selection could have been a big trade chip for the organization if they wanted to keep loading up on draft capital.

Unfortunately, this isn't anything new for Williams, who has had an extensive injury history since entering the league in 2018. The former first-round pick has played in more than 52 games just once in his career, coming in the 2021-22 campaign.

He only played in 35 games last season for a Celtics squad that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging eight points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.