NBA Player News

The Grizzlies have been hit hard by injuries this season, and that doesn’t even take into consideration Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension. So the NBA awarded the franchise two 10-day contract hardship waivers, which they have used on Harrison and Nowell. Neither is a must-add in most leagues right now, but Harrison is the one to keep an eye on due to his defensive potential.

Williams’ availability does not impact fantasy basketball, as he is not in the rotation when healthy.

While Lively took a hard fall during Wednesday’s loss to the Timberwolves, that did not prevent him from playing 30 minutes as the starter. Daniel Gafford (13 minutes vs. Minnesota) will be in for more minutes if Lively cannot play, while Maxi Kleber’s playing time (23 MIN on Wednesday) will hold steady.

Initially listed as available for Thursday’s game, Larsson is now questionable. That doesn’t bode well for his availability, and the Heat are already without Jimmy Butler. Larsson’s absence alone doesn’t impact fantasy basketball, as Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are available.

Good news for the Pacers as well as fantasy managers as Turner was initially listed as questionable. Indiana avoids having its thin center depth tested with Turner available against the Thunder Thursday.

Butler was initially listed as doubtful for Thursday after missing the last two Heat games with a stomach illness. Haywood Highsmith started the last game in Butler’s place. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Duncan Robinson could also start and garner streaming consideration in Butler’s absence.

Porzingis injured his ankle during the first half of Wednesday’s loss to the 76ers and did not return after halftime. If he cannot play on Friday, who starts will also depend on the availability of Jrue Holiday (shoulder). Al Horford is the first man up to fill the void left by any of Boston’s usual starters. If both Porzingis and Holiday sit on Friday, Luke Kornet (who started the third quarter on Wednesday) would also be in the mix for a start.

Holiday missed Wednesday’s loss to the 76ers with the same injury. It was his first missed game since early December when he dealt with a knee injury. The 34-year-old point guard’s potential absence would lead to additional minutes for sixth man Payton Pritchard.

Carter, the 13th overall pick in last summer’s draft, has yet to appear in a game this season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder. He’s now officially cleared to play, but it is unknown when Carter will make his Kings debut. The first step will be to send him to the Kings’ G League affiliate in Stockton, California, for additional reps. Fantasy managers don’t need to add him immediately, but Carter is worth tracking due to Sacramento’s lack of consistent bench production.

No surprise here as despite a questionable designation on the initial injury report, this will be Harris’ 13th missed game in a row. His status doesn’t impact fantasy basketball much at all, but Orlando could certainly use another body while Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are out.

Butler has been the focus of trade rumors recently, with the veteran forward holding a player option for next season worth a little over $52 million. The Heat have not moved to extend his deal, and multiple Western Conference teams are rumored to be interested in acquiring Butler. On Thursday, Riley took a step to quell the rumors, making it clear that Miami has no intention of trading Butler. “We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear -- we are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Riley said in a statement released by the Heat.