NBA Player News

Murray’s shot hasn’t been as accurate as in years past, with the Nuggets guard continuing to shoot below 40% from the field. Over the last week, the improved defensive production has helped compensate for that, with Murray averaging 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Given Murray’s career numbers, expecting that production level to hold would be unrealistic. Fantasy managers have to hope he can clean up the field goal percentage or at least get it safely above 40%.

Reeves, the 47th overall pick in the 2024 draft, appeared in 44 games for the Pelicans. He was most productive when New Orleans was down multiple rotation players due to injury. Over the team’s final 12 games, Reeves averaged 14.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.3 three-pointers in 26.6 minutes, shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the foul line. Reeves’ exit from New Orleans will not impact fantasy basketball, but his finish to the 2024-25 season should get him a look in summer league from another team.

Reportedly acquired from the Kings in exchange for Dario Šarić, it’s reportedly possible that Valančiūnas will not suit up for the Nuggets in 2025-26. According to BasketNews, Greek power Panathinaikos has offered the veteran center a three-year, €12 million contract. Should he remain in the NBA, Valančiūnas will make nearly $10.4 million with the Nuggets, but the final year of his deal (2026-27) is not guaranteed. The Nuggets appeared to have shored up their backup center position with the Valančiūnas trade, but they’ll be forced to return to the drawing board if he decides to return to Europe to continue his career.

Landale’s contract included a guarantee date of July 7. The 29-year-old center had no place on the Rockets roster any longer with the team re-signing Steven Adams and bringing in Clint Capela. Landale is expected to sign with his preferred destination, according to Charania, though it’s unclear where he’s headed to just yet.

The Nuggets fired Mike Malone with only a few games left in the regular season last year. David Adelman took over and was made the permanent head coach after the season. Now Dudley will join him as the lead assistant coach with the Nuggets. The 39-year-old Dudley has been an assistant coach with the Mavericks since he retired from the NBA in 2021. Dudley played for 14 seasons.

Livingston, the 58th overall pick in the 2023 draft, could not carve out a role for himself in Milwaukee. He appeared in 21 games in both seasons, most recently averaging 1.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25. Livingston’s contract for the 2025-26 season would have been guaranteed if he remained on the Bucks roster come July 15.

Unsurprisingly, Ayton has decided to join the Lakers after agreeing with the Trail Blazers on a contract buyout. Los Angeles had a clear need at the center position, and they’ll look to the first overall pick in the 2018 draft to fill it. While he has averaged a double-double in his first seven seasons, Ayton’s last two years in Portland were underwhelming. Limited to 40 games last year due to injury, he averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 three-pointers in 30.2 minutes. Ayton is not the uber-athletic center who tends to flourish playing alongside Luka Doncic, but he’ll play starter’s minutes for a hopeful contender. Being in a lineup with Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves will limit Ayton’s fantasy ceiling, but providing top-100 per-game value should not be an issue.

Despite signing D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks clearly needed more ball-handlers. Kyrie Irving (ACL) is set to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season, and Spencer Dinwiddie has signed with the Hornets. For this reason, according to Charania’s report, they’ll hold onto Exum for another season. Injuries limited him to 20 games last season, with the former lottery pick averaging 8.7 points, 2.8 assists and 1.7 three-pointers in 18.6 minutes. Since returning to the NBA during the 2023-24 season, Exum has improved significantly as a shooter. The ability to handle the ball and defend multiple positions will help Dallas account for Irving’s absence, but Exum is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball dramatically.

With D’Angelo Russell in Dallas, Dinwiddie became the odd man out in the backcourt, and he’ll take on a backup role behind LaMelo Ball. Given Ball’s voluminous injury history, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dinwiddie played enough to make meaningful contributions for fantasy managers.

Brown has an impressive, championship-laden resume as an assistant to Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr, and he’ll look to help New York take the next step after back-to-back losses in the conference semifinals.

The 12-week timeframe puts the next significant JJJ update no earlier than September 24, which means he may be ready for the start of the regular season. If Jackson Jr. is forced to miss time into October, Santi Aldama could see a major boost in usage and fantasy value. Zach Edey (ankle) is already set to miss the beginning of the season, leaving Memphis’ frontcourt rotation potentially thin to kick off the 2025-26 campaign.