NBA Player News

Aldama has initially been listed as a starter, and it wasn’t until 10 minutes after the scheduled tipoff that he was ruled out. It’s another frustrating issue of injury reporting that has been all too common this season. It has been a few weeks since Jemison started, but he has played well as part of the opening group this season.

The reported Murray trade is official, with Atlanta receiving four players and two future first-round picks (2025 via LAL, 2027 via MIL or NOR). Zeller, who was a free agent, is headed to the Hawks via sign-and-trade, joining Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and EJ Liddell. Zeller did not offer much fantasy value in New Orleans, and that’s unlikely to change due to the Hawks’ surplus of big men. And that would remain the case if Clint Capela, whose name has come up in trade rumors, moves on.

Remaining in the Western Conference after spending last season with the Warriors, Saric will have a player option for the 2025-26 season. Appearing in 64 games in 2023-24, he averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 17.2 minutes. Saric ultimately fell out of the Warriors’ rotation in early March. His chances of maintaining a role in Denver will be higher due to the Nuggets’ need for frontcourt depth behind Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.

Fontecchio began last season with the Jazz before he was moved to Detroit at the February trade deadline. In 16 appearances for the Pistons, he averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.7 3-pointers in 30.3 minutes. Fontecchio’s 3-point shooting ability should get him consistent minutes on a now-healthy Pistons squad, as that skill is a severe need. He may not be worth drafting in standard leagues, but there will be times when Fontecchio is worth streaming.

Bronny was part of the starting lineup on Saturday, sharing backcourt duties with undrafted rookie Sean East II. James didn’t have a good day shooting the basketball but stayed within himself and rarely forced the issue. He’ll be a work in progress throughout the summer, with the Lakers heading to Las Vegas after they play three games at the California Classic. James isn’t a player who will have much value in single-season leagues, but he’s worth taking a late-round flier on in deeper dynasty formats.

Knecht, the 17th overall pick in last month’s draft, made his summer debut on Saturday afternoon. While the former Northern Colorado/Tennessee standout did not shoot the ball as well as he could, the four assists were countered by zero turnovers. Projected by many to be a lottery pick heading into the draft, Knecht has the potential to offer solid value as part of the Lakers’ bench rotation this winter.

After finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Slovenia will not appear in Paris. Doncic led the way offensively but was also responsible for 10 turnovers, as Greece jumped out to a 13-0 lead and did not look back. While the Mavericks certainly weren’t opposed to Doncic representing his country, the time off this summer should be a positive for the perennial MVP candidate. After playing at the FIBA World Cup last summer and winning a silver medal, Doncic aggravated a prior leg injury during the preseason. While good to go to begin the 2023-24 campaign, having a healthy Doncic in training camp this time will be a positive for Dallas.

Pokusevski was one of several former Oklahoma City Thunder players who came to Charlotte via midseason trade in 2023-24. The young stretch four averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game with the Hornets. It doesn’t seem like he’s solidified himself as a legitimate rotation player, so his fantasy appeal as a free agent is low ahead of 2024-25.

Charlotte held on to Bridges when off-court issues kept him away for a while and has secured him for three more seasons. He led Charlotte with a career-high 21.0 points per game last season and can put together an even better fantasy season next year should he be available from the start with LaMelo Ball setting the table for him.

Shamet didn’t shoot the ball well from deep with the Wizards but is a career 38.4% three-point shooter and provided plenty of spark when Washington needed him to play a larger role. Long-range shooting is his best attribute, but he’s only averaged more than 10.0 points per game once in his seven-year career.

Bertans averaged 8.8 points and shot 37.5% from deep through 28 games with the Hornets. The stretch big man will enter free agency after failing to break into a rotation following his time with the Washington Wizards. He isn’t likely to command much fantasy value.