Trail Blazers center Robert Williams to undergo right knee surgery, out indefinitely

Robert Williams III, the elite defensive center who has battled left knee issues the past couple of seasons, reportedly will now undergo surgery on his right knee after an injury suffered Sunday in Memphis.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news but there are a lot of details to fill in — what kind of knee surgery? From there, how long will he be out? From Wojnarowski:

Doctors and Williams' agent Kevin Bradbury of Lift Sports Management are working to gather information and discussing the kind of surgery that'll be necessary and how long of a timeline will be required for recovery, sources said.

Shams Charania and Jared Weiss of The Athletic add more detail, saying Williams may have to choose between a season ending surgery or a "clean up" that could have him back before the All-Star break.

Williams has been playing about 20 minutes a night off the bench for the Trail Blazers, backing up Deandre Ayton. Moses Brown and Jabari Walker will take over that role now.

Williams was the defensive anchor for the Celtics team that went to the NBA Finals two seasons ago but had rushed back from knee surgery that season to play in the Finals and was limited. Williams needed another surgery before last season on that same knee and missed the start of the season, playing in just 35 games.

This summer he came to the Trail Blazers as part of the Jrue Holiday trade and has averaged 6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a game in just fewer than 20 minutes a night. Williams was considered a potential trade target as we moved into December and toward the trade deadline next February as contenders always are looking for defensive help. Now teams will wait while he recovers from surgery before making any move. He is under contract for two seasons beyond this one at $25.7 million total.