NBA Player News

Williamson being cleared to play is of far greater importance than Zeller’s continued absence, as the veteran center hasn’t been in the rotation when healthy. Zion playing means Trey Murphy III will remain in the sixth-man role, which limits his fantasy ceiling.

Anderson doesn’t have much fantasy appeal as a tweener who’ll likely back up Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green for stints. He averaged just 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season.

Isaac appears set to stay with Orlando for the foreseeable future. The two-way swingman was once seen as a potential cornerstone but was derailed by injuries for several seasons. The Magic were able to get the most out of him in shorts bursts throughout their 2023-24 campaign and he’ll likely continue to play a key role off the bench next season. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect too much from him with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the fold.

Tillman played for the Celtics sparingly in 2023-24 and averaged 4.0 points 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists across 20 games after being traded by the Memphis Grizzlies. He has a chance to contribute a little more at the beginning of 2024-25 while Kristaps Porzingis recovers from surgery, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect too much from the reserve big man.

Phoenix lacks true PG depth, and Morris’ addition helps to address that issue. Morris is a reliable, long-range threat who shot 39.2% from beyond the arc over the last six seasons.

Wagner appeared in 80 games last season and averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds across 17.7 minutes, shooting 60.1% from the floor and 81.4% from the charity stripe. He’ll be a deep-league option in fantasy hoops when someone ahead of him on the depth chart is forced to miss time.

Walker averaged 19.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.2 steals across 12 seasons with the Hornets, Knicks, Celtics and Mavericks. Walker was a four-time All-Star who spent the best seasons of his career with Charlotte, and he hangs it up after playing nine games for Dallas in 2022-23 and playing in Monaco last season.

Wiseman will join his fourth team since being selected No. 2 in 2020. He’ll provide depth behind Myles Turner and will scrap for minutes with Isaiah Jackson. Wiseman could get a slight boost in fantasy value if he’s able to secure the top backup spot behind Turner, but he’s a deep-league dart-throw at best. Detroit’s center depth consists of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, which means that unless the Pistons make a move for another big man, Beef Stew should play more minutes at the five in 2024-25. That could lead to more rebounds and a higher FG%.

This isn’t a surprising update, considering Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported the likelihood of this extension in mid-June. According to Woj, “A significant part of Mitchell’s belief in committing on a new deal comes with his confidence in Koby Altman’s vision to keep building the Cavs into a championship contender and an alignment on their partnership together.” Mitchell and Co. have had back-to-back playoff disappointments, most recently due to several key injuries. A healthy Cleveland team should be a perennial playoff team, but how far the team can go is in question based on recent moves from New York and Philadelphia to bolster their respective rosters.

The Heat did not waste any time signing Johnson after the former San Diego State and Arizona standout went undrafted, picking up shortly after the draft’s conclusion on Thursday. On Monday, the team announced that the rookie has been signed to a two-way deal. Miami has now filled two of its three available two-way slots for next season, with guard Dru Smith also being signed on Monday.

With Mason Plumlee agreeing to a deal with the Suns, the Clippers needed reinforcements behind starting center Ivica Zubac. Enter Bamba, who appeared in 57 games for the 76ers last season. Making 17 starts, he averaged 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 13.0 minutes, shooting 49% from the field. As long as Zubac remains healthy, Bamba’s opportunities to be an impactful fantasy option will be limited.