NBA Player News

Playing against college teammate Donovan Clingan, Castle left the Thomas & Mack Center with bragging rights on Saturday night. He didn’t have his best night shooting the basketball, and the rookie guard was also responsible for five turnovers, but that isn’t something for fantasy managers to be worried about. Castle played well in Salt Lake City, and the overall performance on Friday was encouraging. During an in-game interview, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spoke highly of Castle, saying he will be a “quick study.” Castle should be one of the first rookies off the board in drafts this fall.

Undrafted after a stellar collegiate career at Santa Clara, Brownridge has spent the last seven seasons with the 76ers’ G League affiliate (Delaware Blue Coats). This transaction may be more about rewarding Brownridge for his service to the franchise than him legitimately competing for a standard contract, as 13 76ers will go into camp with guaranteed deals. If he’s waived and spends 60 days with the Blue Coats, Brownridge would be in line for a bonus worth $77,500.

Goodwin spent most of last season with the Phoenix Suns, where he averaged 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists across 40 outings. He then notched 10.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 17 games with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Bertans has been a free agent since July 6, when the Hornets waived him. In 28 games with Charlotte, the veteran forward averaged 8.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 3-pointers, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. He’ll look to earn a training camp invite from the Warriors, and this is not a situation that will significantly impact fantasy basketball.

Fournier finished last season with Detroit after a few years with the Knicks. After playing with France this summer, he’ll remain in Europe for next season. It has been a few years since he was relevant in fantasy hoops, so this move won’t have much of an impact.

Mintz, who went undrafted after two seasons at Syracuse, averaged 18.8 points and 4.2 assists per game during his sophomore campaign. All three of Philadelphia’s two-way contract slots are filled, so he’ll need an impressive training camp to work his way into the mix. In all likelihood, Mintz will spend the majority of his time with the 76ers G League affiliate.

Yurtseven spent last season with the Jazz, who waived him in late June. In 48 games, the 7-footer averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11.4 minutes for Utah. While he went through a free-agent workout with the Knicks in mid-August, the team did not move to sign Yurtseven. He will head to Greece for the next chapter in his professional career on a two-year deal (including an option for the second season).

Ahead of the final season on his current contract, Zubac has secured his future with the Clippers. The $58.6 million deal, which will go into effect during the 2025-26 season, was the most he could agree to per league rules. While not a prolific fantasy center, Zubac finished the 2023-24 campaign ranked just outside the top 100 in 9-cat, per-game, and total value. With Paul George moving on, an even higher usage for James Harden could also benefit Zubac due to his positive chemistry with The Beard in the two-man game.

Huerter suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in mid-March and underwent surgery to remedy the issue on March 29. In addition to resuming on-court activities, he has been cleared for shooting drills and a complete strength training regimen. According to the Kings, Huerter will be re-evaluated in mid-October, which means he will not be fully ready for the start of training camp. Red Velvet wasn’t a great fantasy option last season, and the addition of DeMar DeRozan considerably lowers his fantasy floor (and ceiling). As for the starting shooting guard position, Malik Monk and Keon Ellis are the competitors, with the former offering a higher fantasy ceiling regardless of the outcome.

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies’ bad luck with injuries has not dissipated. Jackson, one of the few bright spots during an injury-riddled 2023-24 season for the franchise, reportedly broke his foot while playing basketball just outside of Dallas on August. 27. The Grizzlies announced that he’ll undergo surgery next week, and it’s unknown how much time he’ll miss. Jackson faced a problematic climb to fantasy relevance as part of a complete Grizzlies rotation, and the foot injury doesn’t help matters. Depending on what the doctors say post-surgery, there may not be a need to consider drafting GG in most fantasy leagues.

Three days after signing Mathias to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Pacers announced on Thursday that he had been waived. This is unsurprising, as the former Purdue standout was expected to suit up for the team’s G League affiliate. If Mathias remains with the Mad Ants for a certain amount of time, he’ll be guaranteed a bonus of $77,500.