NBA Player News

With Joe Mazzulla’s interim tag removed, the Celtics don’t have any use for Udoka. While the Hawks have a list of other candidates, including Quin Snyder, Kenny Atkinson and Charles Lee. All three are former assistants in Atlanta. The Hawks will do a thorough head coaching search after giving a Nate McMillan a deal following his Eastern Conference Finals run. Whoever they bring in will be faced with the tall task of turning this team around and getting along with Trae Young.

Deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder limited Wemby to just 46 appearances in Year 2. The superstar big man has been phenomenal through his first two NBA seasons, and fantasy managers should expect more of the same for the 2025-26 season, assuming there are no additional health issues. He should be a consensus top-3 pick in upcoming fantasy basketball drafts.

Raynaud suffered a right wrist injury, and it will cost him at least one game. The second-round pick from Stanford has been solid in Summer League play, and it could translate to a substantial role for Sacramento in Year 1.

Spencer agreed to a two-year, $4.5 million, fully guaranteed deal at the end of June, but his payday will get a bit bigger with this new deal.

Sheppard led Houston in scoring in two straight Summer League appearances, but he notably struggled with ball security and efficiency. Houston doesn’t need to see any more from the second-year guard in this year’s Summer League, and Sheppard will head into the season likely to occupy a similar role to the one he held as a rookie. Don’t expect much playing time for the offense-first guard.

Two days removed from putting on a show with a 32-point effort against the Hornets, Filipowski was not as effective on Sunday. He still surpassed 20 points, but sometimes the Jazz forward/center was not as decisive as he needed to be offensively. Instead of making quick moves to take advantage of mismatches, Filipowski was too deliberate at times, thus eliminating whatever advantage he had. With Utah trading John Collins, there’s an opening in the starting lineup. While Filipowski may be a candidate, the same can be said for Brice Sensabaugh, who played so well in Salt Lake City that the Jazz shut him down before arriving in Las Vegas.

Williams has surpassed 20 points in two straight games, a positive development for a player who struggled mightily as a rookie. However, the perimeter shot remains a work in progress. Williams was 1-of-6 from deep on Sunday, two nights after going 3-of-11 in the loss to the Hornets. He isn’t going to turn into a knockdown shooter overnight. Williams remains a player worth the risk in dynasty leagues, but managers in redraft leagues can afford to leave him on the board.

Richard was not as productive offensively as he was in Friday’s blowout loss to the Trail Blazers, but he once again provided value in multiple areas. The second-round pick out of Florida is in a similar position to Alex Toohey, with both yet to sign contracts with the Warriors. Not only does Golden State have two available two-way slots, but it also has multiple open standard contract slots. Some notable free agents are still available on the market, including restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, so Richard may be in a holding pattern of sorts as the Warriors’ front office sorts things out.

After getting blown out by Portland in their first game in Las Vegas, Toohey and the Warriors bounced back on Sunday. The second-round pick was solid, leading the Warriors’ starters in scoring and nearly filling the stat sheet. Toohey has yet to sign a contract, and with the Warriors still having work to do in free agency, he may have to wait a bit longer. Gabe Madsen was the true standout on Sunday, as he came off the bench to contribute 22 points and six three-pointers.

While Konan Niederhauser turned 22 in March, these early games in Las Vegas have reminded us that he’s still a bit of a project. The rookie notched his first made basket on Sunday, an alley-oop dunk, and he was also responsible for two steals. Konan Niederhauser will be more of an asset for dynasty leagues than redraft leagues, but he will have the opportunity to learn from Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez next season.

Christie is one of the few players on the Clippers’ summer roster whose contract is guaranteed for the 2025-26 season. The second-round pick could not earn rotation minutes as a rookie, and it will be challenging to change that next season due to the Clippers’ perimeter depth. Christie shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc against the Bucks, and he’ll need to be a consistent shooter to have any chance of providing tangible fantasy value.