NBA Player News

Saturday is a busy day in the NBA, with many teams beginning the process of trimming down their rosters in advance of opening night. Orlando waived four training camp participants, with former lottery pick Culver boasting the highest profile. He was unlikely to factor into the rotation if retained, and the same can be said for Morales, Slawson, and Thompson. Look for some players to land with Orlando’s G League affiliate.

Anthony has missed six straight games, and he’s in danger of missing a seventh. If he’s out, expect Cory Joseph to remain with the first unit and Anthony Black to pick up additional minutes off the bench.

Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. could see additional minutes if Bogdanovic is sidelined, but with Kawhi Leonard back, LA could tighten up its rotation against a formidable Magic team.

Miller will miss another contest, but his availability isn’t impactful in the world of fantasy hoops due to his lack of rotation minutes.

Spoelstra was also asked if Wiggins would be back by the end of the regular season and said, “I don’t have an update.” With Wiggins out indefinitely, Pelle Larsson and Haywood Highsmith should continue to see increased run.

Giddey will shake off his questionable tag and play through a sore right hip. Giddey will return to Paycom Center for the first time since he was traded for Alex Caruso last summer, so this could be an emotional matchup. Giddey has led the Bulls to the highest scoring average in the Association across the last five games.

Johnson’s absence frees up additional minutes for the likes of Ziaire Williams and Jalen Wilson. The Nets’ next game is Thursday against the Timberwolves, which will be Johnson’s next chance to take the court.

After sitting out Thursday’s win over the Jazz, Adams played 12 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s win over the Suns. The veteran center has not played both ends of a back-to-back since February 3-4, but the importance of Monday’s matchup likely factors into Udoka saying that Adams will play. Houston and the Lakers are two of the teams fighting for the two-seed in the West, with the Rockets leading third-place Denver by two games in the loss column and the Lakers by three.

Since Eason has not reached the point where he can play both games of back-to-backs, he sat out Sunday’s blowout win over Phoenix. Monday’s game is of far greater importance to the Rockets, who are looking to lock down the two-seed in the West, so saving Eason for that matchup is understandable. Unless Amen Thompson’s ankle keeps him out of Monday’s game, Eason will come off the bench, but he remains valuable in standard leagues.

Durant sprained his left ankle during the third quarter of Sunday’s blowout loss to the Rockets and did not return. He will undergo an MRI on Monday and will not travel with the team for the start of its three-game road trip. The Suns visit the Bucks on Tuesday, followed by games against the Celtics on Friday and the Knicks two days later. Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen are potential replacements in the starting lineup if Durant does not rejoin the Suns during Week 22.

Sunday’s game was Bassey’s first since February 23, so he clearly wasn’t going to be asked to log many minutes. He played 10 minutes, but his return meant no room in the rotation for Bismack Biyombo, who picked up a DNP-CD. Following the game, Bassey said that he still wasn’t feeling right. “I just want to play with these guys, man,” Bassey said. “My family, my friends, people in my circle, know who I am as a person. They know I want to get back and play, even though I’m not feeling right.” Fantasy managers should not expect much from Bassey the rest of the way, especially with San Antonio’s four-game Week 22 starting with a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back.