NBA Player News

After bouncing back from his poor Blazers debut with a solid effort on Friday, Ayton had a rough night in Philadelphia. On the surface, this performance isn’t a huge issue for fantasy managers who have him rostered. However, Robert Williams (six points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks) playing 26 minutes despite coming off the bench is. The Time Lord has traditionally offered more production on the defensive end of the floor, and that could eventually push him past Ayton in the rotation. Keep an eye on this battle in the games ahead, with the Blazers playing four in Week 2.

Randle has been out of the NBA since the 2020-21 season when he appeared in 41 games for the Magic. After being waived by Phoenix before the 2021-22 campaign, Randle has played overseas and in the G League, most recently for AEK Athens in Greece. Given Minnesota’s depth at the point guard position, Randle will likely land with the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. Iowa acquired Randle’s returning player rights from the Oklahoma City Blue earlier Monday.

Wood missed the final two months of last season after undergoing surgery on his left knee, and now he’ll have another procedure on the same knee that will force him to miss the start of the season. He’ll be re-evaluated in early November, which means that Jaxson Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt will likely see a few extra minutes to start the season at center behind Anthony Davis.

Selected by the Pelicans with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Liddell has yet to get his NBA career off the ground. An ACL tear suffered during summer league play robbed him of the 2022-23 campaign, and he was limited to eight appearances with the Pelicans this past season. Liddell was traded twice during the summer, first to Atlanta as part of the Dejounte Murray deal and then to Phoenix in exchange for David Roddy. The Suns waived Liddell on August 21. With Liddell likely on an Exhibit 10 contract and the Bulls having 14 players on guaranteed deals, he faces long odds to make the opening night roster.

Osman was an unrestricted free agent after finishing last season in San Antonio. While the seven-year NBA veteran did say “a couple” teams expressed interest in signing him, Osman ultimately decided that heading back to Europe for a guaranteed contract was a better move for his career. Cedi offered limited fantasy value (at best) last season, which would likely be the case this season had he remained in the NBA.

They were reportedly close on an extension back in June, but they didn’t get anything done until over two months after. Murray will remain in Denver through the end of the 2028-29 season, which will keep their star duo of Murray and Nikola Jokic on the Nuggets for the foreseeable future. Despite the injury issues that Murray has dealt with in recent years, they will continue to be a contending team for years to come.

A previous report from Stein indicated that Berans would work out fo rthe Warriors this past week, but he is expected to head overseas instead. There is a clause that will allow him to return to the NBA in the future, but he’s past his days of impacting fantasy basketball.

Fudge, who began last season with the Lakers and was waived on January 6, inked a two-way contract with the Mavericks in early March. However, Dallas waived him on August 8, with the Lakers signing the 6-foot-9 forward to an Exhibit 10 contract on Thursday. One day late, he’s been waived by the Lakers for a second time, likely meaning Fudge will be with the team’s G League affiliate if another NBA team doesn’t claim his rights. This transaction will not impact fantasy basketball.

Thompson got a chance to become a regular rotation player for small stints last year because of injuries. He averaged 3.3 points an 3.6 rebounds per contest. He likely won’t be a key piece when the Cavs are healthy.

Draft Express first reported Dennis’ signing on June 27, and the move was made official on Friday. He made stops at Boise State, Toledo, and Baylor during a five-year collegiate career, most recently making 35 starts for the Bears in 2023-24. An All-Big 12 selection, Dennis averaged 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 3-pointers per game for Baylor last season. Look for him to spend most of his time with the Clippers’ G League affiliate.

Brownridge was waived one day after being signed to an Exhibit 10 contract. He was expected to return to the Delaware Blue Coats for another season, so Wednesday’s transaction is unsurprising. Due to the move, Brownridge can earn a bonus of $77,500 if he remains with the Blue Coats for at least 60 days.