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Celtics team president Brad Stevens said on Tuesday that he expects Kristaps Porzingis (left leg surgery) to miss at least the start of next season.

Advice: Appearing on the Ryen Rusillo Podcast, Stevens said while the team does not know precisely how much time Porzingis will miss, he’s expected to miss the start of the season. “We’re going to be different right out of the gate simply because we have guys like Kristaps after his surgery -- we don’t know exactly when he’ll be back. But he’ll probably miss at least the very start of the season,” said Stevens. “That’ll be a great opportunity for us to do things different and have to find different solutions and those types of things that come with it. And then we’ll just evaluate our team like we always do.” Porzingis suffered a dislocation of his left posterior tibialis during Game 2 of the NBA Finals and said after the series clincher that his rehab was expected to last a “few months.” The injury boosts Al Horford’s fantasy value heading into the 2024-25 season while freeing up additional usage for fellow starters Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 10:45 am

The Celtics announced Tuesday that Porzingis (leg) will undergo surgery in the coming days, which will force him to miss the Olympics with Latvia.

Advice: Surgery was inevitable, but Porzingis hoped to delay it until after the Olympics. More clarity on a timeline for the recovery process likely won't be known until after the procedure. He's coming off a terrific season with the Celtics, posting averages of 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers in the regular season. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 8:23 am

Barnes (hand) agreed Monday with the Raptors on a five-year maximum extension worth up to $270 million, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Advice: Keeping Barnes in the fold long term is a no-brainer for the Raptors, as the 22-year-old forward took a big leap forward during his third NBA season in 2023-24. Over his 60 appearances this past season, Barnes posted averages of 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.7 three-pointers, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 34.9 minutes per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 78.1 percent from the free-throw line and 34.1 percent from three-point range. Each of those averages represented career highs, and the free-throw and three-point percentages were also personal bests for Barnes. Expect Barnes and the Raptors to finalize the extension at some point in the coming days. Barnes missed the final 22 games of the 2023-24 season after undergoing surgery on his left hand, but he's set for a healthy offseason and shouldn't have any restrictions by the time training camp gets underway in the fall. Rotowire.com Monday, 9:36 am

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Pascal Siakam will sign a four-year, $189.5 million max extension with the Pacers.

Advice: Siakam can sign the deal on July 6 when the free agency moratorium period ends. It’s not a surprising update based on earlier reports indicating he’d return to Indiana on a long-term deal. Rotoworld Wednesday, 6:49 am

According to Pacers beat writer Scott Agness, Pascal Siakam and the Pacers are nearing a long-term contract extension.

Advice: According to Agness, “Both sides know how each other feels [and] want the partnership to continue.” It’s not surprising news considering Siakam’s trade to Indiana at the end of his expiring deal. The belief was that he would stick around for the long haul after the Pacers traded for him, and he’ll be back with Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and the rest of Indiana’s young core as the team looks to replicate the success it found in an Eastern Conference Finals run this season. Siakam averaged 21.3 points on 54.9% shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 triples across 41 appearances for the Pacers and finished 77th in per-game fantasy value in that span. He’ll be worth a look in the middle rounds of 2024-25 fantasy drafts. Rotoworld Tuesday, 10:14 am