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.

The sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Culver has failed to lock down a consistent role in the NBA. After appearing in 10 games for the Hawks during the 2022-23 season, he spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign with Rio Grande Valley in the NBA G League. Look for Culver to land with Orlando’s G League affiliate ultimately.

After playing his first professional season overseas, Williams played the majority of the 2023-24 campaign with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The exception was two 10-day contracts with the Raptors to end the season, with Williams making seven appearances. He accounted for 2.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 15.3 minutes in those outings. Williams’ signing will not impact fantasy basketball; look for him to land with Sioux Falls ultimately.

Schakel will participate in the Celtics training camp for the second consecutive fall. Ultimately waived before the start of the season, he averaged 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League. Expect Schakel to remain with the Red Claws, as Boston has limited roster spots (and cap space) to work with.

Randle has been out of the NBA since the 2020-21 season when he appeared in 41 games for the Magic. After being waived by Phoenix before the 2021-22 campaign, Randle has played overseas and in the G League, most recently for AEK Athens in Greece. Given Minnesota’s depth at the point guard position, Randle will likely land with the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. Iowa acquired Randle’s returning player rights from the Oklahoma City Blue earlier Monday.

Wood missed the final two months of last season after undergoing surgery on his left knee, and now he’ll have another procedure on the same knee that will force him to miss the start of the season. He’ll be re-evaluated in early November, which means that Jaxson Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt will likely see a few extra minutes to start the season at center behind Anthony Davis.

Selected by the Pelicans with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Liddell has yet to get his NBA career off the ground. An ACL tear suffered during summer league play robbed him of the 2022-23 campaign, and he was limited to eight appearances with the Pelicans this past season. Liddell was traded twice during the summer, first to Atlanta as part of the Dejounte Murray deal and then to Phoenix in exchange for David Roddy. The Suns waived Liddell on August 21. With Liddell likely on an Exhibit 10 contract and the Bulls having 14 players on guaranteed deals, he faces long odds to make the opening night roster.

Osman was an unrestricted free agent after finishing last season in San Antonio. While the seven-year NBA veteran did say “a couple” teams expressed interest in signing him, Osman ultimately decided that heading back to Europe for a guaranteed contract was a better move for his career. Cedi offered limited fantasy value (at best) last season, which would likely be the case this season had he remained in the NBA.

They were reportedly close on an extension back in June, but they didn’t get anything done until over two months after. Murray will remain in Denver through the end of the 2028-29 season, which will keep their star duo of Murray and Nikola Jokic on the Nuggets for the foreseeable future. Despite the injury issues that Murray has dealt with in recent years, they will continue to be a contending team for years to come.

A previous report from Stein indicated that Berans would work out fo rthe Warriors this past week, but he is expected to head overseas instead. There is a clause that will allow him to return to the NBA in the future, but he’s past his days of impacting fantasy basketball.

Fudge, who began last season with the Lakers and was waived on January 6, inked a two-way contract with the Mavericks in early March. However, Dallas waived him on August 8, with the Lakers signing the 6-foot-9 forward to an Exhibit 10 contract on Thursday. One day late, he’s been waived by the Lakers for a second time, likely meaning Fudge will be with the team’s G League affiliate if another NBA team doesn’t claim his rights. This transaction will not impact fantasy basketball.