NBA Player News

Despite the Lakers playing without Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, they managed to blitz Buzelis and the Bulls and not look back. The lottery pick did not shoot the ball particularly well, but he did manage to accumulate one steal and three blocked shots. If Buzelis can provide consistent defensive production, that would boost his fantasy value in a lineup that includes Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. In previous seasons, Chicago has been willing to commit to chasing a play-in spot, even if that limits their flexibility in rebuilding. Going all-in on a rebuild would make Buzelis one of the more valuable fantasy rookies in this class.

While Simmons’ career has not panned out the way many expected it to, his playmaking and defensive abilities mean there is interest in the free agent forward. In his report via social media, Windhorst mentioned the Kings, Suns, Knicks and Celtics as teams linked with Simmons. His potential impact on fantasy basketball will depend on the location and Simmons’ health, which has been problematic for most of his NBA career. He played in 51 games last season between the Nets and Clippers, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.0 minutes.

After spending his first two NBA seasons with the Raptors, Harper signed a two-way deal with the Pistons before the start of the 2024-25 campaign. He appeared in just one game for Detroit, spending most of his time with the franchise’s G League affiliate. Due to Detroit’s perimeter depth, Harper’s departure will not impact fantasy basketball.

Quiñones was on a two-way contract, so the transaction frees up a slot for the Pelicans. After beginning last season with the 76ers, the Pelicans signed him to a contract in March. Quiñones played in 13 games last season, averaging 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in 14.1 minutes.

In the aftermath of Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon injury, the Celtics have made multiple moves to improve their salary cap situation. The latest transaction was the decision to waive Davison, which gets the Celtics beneath the second apron. The point guard’s contract for the 2025-26 season would have been fully guaranteed if he were still on the roster on January 10, 2026. Davison appeared in 16 games for the Celtics last season, doing most of his damage with the team’s G League affiliate.

The 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Springer has not been able to truly establish himself in the NBA. Traded to Houston by the Celtics at the February trade deadline, Springer was subsequently waived and would go on to sign with the Jazz. In 43 combined games for the Celtics and Jazz, he averaged 3.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.2 minutes. Once he clears waivers, Springer can sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.

A few days after being waived by the Lakers, Milton is headed to Europe for the next phase of his career. He has agreed to a deal with Partizan Belgrade, which won the ABA and Serbian league championships this past season. Among the other former NBA players on the roster are Jabari Parker, Frank Ntilikina and Isaac Bonga.

The report also included the Kings and Suns as potential sign-and-trade options for Kuminga, which means he could remain in the Pacific Division no matter what. Kuminga will be the first domino to fall for Golden State, whenever that happens, and they will look to add other free agents after they figure out whether or not Kuminga is staying.

Walker started last season in EuroLeague before signing with the 76ers in February. Now, he’ll return to be one of the highest-paid players in Europe. He reportedly has an NBA buyout clause until August 1, so there is still a small chance that he signs to remain in the NBA for next season. However, it is far more likely that he spends at least next season in Europe.

Indiana drafted Peter with the 54th pick out of Liberty, and he averaged 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one triple per game during summer league. He’ll likely spend most of next season in the G League, though they could give him a large role late in the year if things get out of hand with Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) likely out for the year.

Jones was acquired via trade by the Thunder and subsequently waived last month. The 23-year-old shooting guard averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 15 games for the Wizards last year. While the Pistons are a playoff team with a deep rotation, Jones will serve as valuable depth in Detroit.