NBA Player News

The 1-5 Bucks will need all the help they can get without Giannis Antetokounmpo against the undefeated Cavaliers. Connaughton will only play 15-20 minutes off the bench in a game where the Bucks figure to run things primarily through Damian Lillard.

The 2016 Slam Dunk Contest was a true masterpiece, as Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon traded phenomenal jams all night. Since that magical performance, the contest has gone downhill, and lack of superstar participation is a big reason. McClung’s recent three-peat has brought a new level of excitement to the dying contest and, if Giannis and Ja’s posts on X are any indication, McClung has revived it. Morant replied to his own post later with “zach and ag wassup” seemingly challenging LaVine and Gordon to enter on what would be the 10th anniversary of their famous showdown. A dunk contest with those four participants would surely bring some attention to All-Star’s Saturday night festivities.

McClung became the first competitor to take home the title three straight years in the event’s history, which dates back to 1976. The Magic two-way contract guard scored a perfect 50 on all four dunks, outscoring Castle 100-99.6 in the final round. McClung, last season’s G League MVP, has not been able to earn an opportunity at an extended run in Orlando, so he won’t impact fantasy basketball anytime soon.

After hanging onto the final qualifying spot out of the first round, Herro scored 24 in the finals to beat Warriors guard Buddy Hield. The first-time All-Star is the fifth Heat player to win the three-point contest, joining Glen Rice, Jason Kapono, Daequan Cook, and James Jones. Herro’s fantasy production this season has been excellent, as he entered the All-Star break as a fourth-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats. With Jimmy Butler no longer in the picture, the Heat need Herro’s scoring even more, which is a positive for fantasy managers who have him rostered.

Mitchell and Mobley represented the Cavaliers well, winning the Kia Skills Challenge to open the Saturday night festivities. Two reasons why Cleveland went into the break with the second-best record in the NBA, Mitchell and Mobley have been top-25 players in nine-cat formats. The lone concern for fantasy managers who have either player rostered would be for Cleveland to maintain its stranglehold on the top spot in the East. That may encourage the Cavaliers to occasionally rest key players before the postseason, which may impact the availability of Mitchell and Mobley during the fantasy playoff weeks.

Williams, who was initially traded to the Lakers at the February 6 deadline, was not with the Hornets for any of their three games before the All-Star break after the deal was rescinded. While it was reported on February 11 that the Hornets were exploring their options with the league, the franchise has not filed a protest with the NBA. “No. Charlotte has not filed a protest of any kind,” Silver said Saturday. “I think the larger issue is if there is a different standard of sort in terms of players passing physicals in trades. It’s something we should look at as a league.” It’s unknown if Williams will rejoin the Hornets after the break, with the team’s first game being against the Lakers on Wednesday in a makeup of the matchup that was postponed due to the January wildfires in Los Angeles County.

ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that Moore, the 26th overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2022 draft, is headed to Charlotte after spending time earlier this season with the Pistons. The 23-year-old shooting guard appeared in 20 games with Detroit, averaging 11 minutes per game and 3.2 points per game. While he’ll add to Charlotte’s overall depth, it’s difficult to see him providing fantasy value in the second half of the season.

Castle led the way for Team C in the victory over Team G League in the final game of the Rising Stars Challenge. The 20-year-old shooting guard had a game-high 12 points and had the assist on the game-winning 3-pointer. Castle earned himself MVP honors for his performance. His fantasy value appeared to take a hit with the Spurs acquisition of De’Aaron Fox, but Castle has had some good games recently and could still be worth rostering for the rest of the season.

Thompson led Team M in scoring with 11 points on six attempts from the field. The 22-year-old point guard also had three turnovers in 11 minutes and was -4 in the one-point upset loss. Thompson has asserted himself as a better scorer recently with at least 16 points in four of his last six games. He’s so good in the other categories that he’s a high floor player with lots of upside when his shot is falling.

McGowens had 12 points and two 3-pointers including the game-winning shot in Team G League’s first round upset of Team M in the Rising Stars Challenge Friday. The 22-year-old shooting guard plays for the Rip City Remix and is on a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. McGowens won’t have a path to fantasy value in the second half of this season, though.

Dick led Team T in points with 12 in the first round loss to Team C in the first round of the Rising Stars Challenge. The 21-year-old shooting guard asserted himself with his outside shooting early in the game and put forth his typical effort on the defensive end. Dick will continue to start for the Raptors until Brandon Ingram returns to the court. Even while he’s in the lineup, Dick hasn’t been consistent enough with his shooting to provide a lot of fantasy value given his deficiencies in the other categories.