2 months agoUtah Jazz forward Johnny Juzang is set to return this season on another two-way contract after a solid summer league showing and playing 18 games for the team last season. The 22-year-old finished his Las Vegas action by averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game across 23.8 minutes per contest. Juzang still has a long way to go to get some serious playing time on the main roster, but he could be a streaming option sometime during the season if they suffer multiple injuries.--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski

2 months agoPhiladelphia 76ers guard James Harden still hasn't changed his mind about a trade and Daryl Morey is committed to finding a deal good enough to get him out of town. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, however, the veteran superstar is still expected to report to training camp if he hasn't been dealt by October 2. Harden's antics are infamous at this point when he mentally quits on a team, so this doesn't seem like much of a good thing if he's at training camp. Showing up out of shape, causing a distraction, and forcing an even lower return could be in the plan again.--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Jake Fischer

2 months agoPhiladelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is trying to accommodate James Harden's trade request but only at the right price. "If we don't get either a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, then we're just not going to do it," Morey said to 97.5 The Fanatic. "If James were to turn his mind around, we would all be thrilled. You've heard [Joel Embiid's] comments about that. But at this moment, he prefers to be traded, and we are attempting to honor that." Morey's comments come after reports emerged that the relationship between him and Harden is "broken". Harden is reportedly only interested in a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 months agoLos Angeles Lakers guard/forward Max Christie could be ready for a major step up in 2023-24, with the team reportedly very high on him. "There's excitement that he could follow Austin Reaves' footsteps, what he did the last couple of years," a league source has told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. Reaves, of course, had a superb finish to his sophomore campaign last season, becoming a key cog for the Lakers in the playoffs. Christie's numbers are comparable to Reaves' first year in the league, but he also featured a lot less, and the 20-year-old showed his full potential in the Summer League, averaging 19.8 points with 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists across five games in Sacramento and Las Vegas. It's now looking like we could also see him make significant contributions when the real action starts.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sean Deveney

2 months agoPortland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is taking Scoot Henderson's development as a "personal" project. "It's personal for me," Billups told The Athletic's David Aldridge. "'Cause I just remember myself being that dude, third pick in the draft. The expectations. I want to give Scoot what I needed at the time. I can do that. I've done everything he wants to do in this league. I struggled mightily early, which I don't see that happening with him." Billups had a pretty unusual rookie campaign as a top draft pick, as Boston traded him in the middle of the season to Toronto. Following a rough start to his career, Billups went on to develop into a five-time All-Star, winning the NBA title with Detroit in 2004. Henderson's rise to stardom could go much quicker, especially if Damian Lillard eventually leaves Portland.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: David Aldridge

2 months agoThe Memphis Grizzlies haven't replaced Dillon Brooks over the summer and will need a new starting small forward for next season. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has noted that there are several candidates who can grab the job. He mentions Jake LaRavia, David Roddy, and Zaire Williams as the options, whilst adding that Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman has thrown out the idea of starting Luke Kennard alongside Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane. LaRavia has just wrapped up an impressive Summer League campaign, having averaged 18.3 points. Roddy and Williams are seen more as defensive-minded options at the position. Cole also suggests that once Ja Morant has served his 25-game suspension at the start of the season, Bane could take over the small forward spot, with Smart moving to the shooting guard position.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Damichael Cole

2 months agoAccording to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks remain interested in Clint Capela. Stein writes in his latest Substack post that the Mavericks are looking for a veteran center and they would like to acquire Capela from Atlanta as the third team in a potential Pascal Siakam trade. Capela's name was reportedly in trade talks between Dallas and Atlanta already last month ahead of the draft but nothing materialized. The Swiss big man has battled various injuries in recent seasons, but he's a walking double-double when healthy and would be a great addition to the Mavericks frontcourt that does look weak, with Dwight Powell the projected starter, and Richaun Holmes, Dereck Lively II and JaVale McGee behind him.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Marc Stein

2 months agoThe Oklahoma City Thunder have officially announced the signing of 29-year-old Serbian guard Vasilije Micic. The terms of the contract weren't disclosed, but it has been reported that the 2021 EuroLeague MVP agreed to a three-year deal worth $23.5 million. Micic has so far spent all of his career in Europe, winning the EuroLeague twice with Anadolu Efes. He averaged 17.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists in Europe's premier basketball competition last season. It will be interesting to see where he fits as OKC goes with a youth movement and how well his game translates to the NBA.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Oklahoma City Thunder

2 months agoThe Sacramento Kings have finalized the signing of reigning EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov. The 27-year-old officially joins the Kings on a three-year, $20 million contract. Vezenkov figures to supply wing depth for Sacramento's second unit. The 2017 second-round pick recorded 17.6 points on 65.5% field-goal shooting, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 threes in 29.1 minutes per game over 40 contests for Olympiacos last year. Despite the success overseas, Vezenkov should not enter the 2023-2024 NBA season on many fantasy radars.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Jason Anderson - Sacramento Bee

2 months agoThe Toronto Raptors are reportedly not considering trade offers involving guard/forward OG Anunoby at this time. Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports that "the Raptors are not seriously listening to offers for OG Anunoby right now". With franchise cornerstone Pascal Siakam's Toronto future uncertain and Fred VanVleet departing this offseason, Anunoby's standing with the team still seems fairly secure currently. The 26-year-old represents one of the NBA's best "3-and-D" swingmen, notching 16.8 points on 47.6% field-goal shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 threes, and a league-leading 1.9 steals in 35.6 minutes per game over 67 contests last season.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Eric Koreen - The Athletic

2 months agoThe Los Angeles Clippers and forward Kawhi Leonard (knee) are reportedly in talks regarding a potential contract extension. Law Murray of The Athletic reports that "the dialogue is healthy, as Leonard is extension eligible now". Murray does allude to the slowness of the current trade market and considers these discussions to also be "relatively slow". The 31-year-old owns two years remaining on his current deal with a 2024-2025 player option. Leonard, while highly injury-prone, remains one of the league's best two-way superstars any time he takes the court. The five-time All-Star amassed 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.0 threes, and 1.4 steals on 51.2% field-goal shooting in 33.6 minutes per game across 52 contests last season.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Law Murray - The Athletic

2 months agoThe Los Angeles Lakers and center Anthony Davis are reportedly expected to come to terms on a contract extension prior to training camp. ESPN's Dave McMenamin "expects some sort of an agreement to be reached" and he is "fairly confident that Anthony Davis will come into training camp with an extended deal". Camps won't open league-wide until October 3, so there's still ample time for the two sides to hash out a possible deal before then. The 30-year-old holds two years left on his current contract with an early termination option for the 2024-2025 season. Davis had arguably his best campaign with LA yet in 2022-2023. The eight-time All-Star accrued first-round fantasy value, boasting 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0. blocks, and 1.1 steals with a career-high 56.3% field-goal shooting in 34.0 minutes per game over 56 contests.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - “The Lowe Post”

2 months agoAs reported by Mike Singer of the Denver Post, the Denver Nuggets are signing guards Andrew Funk and Armaan Franklin to exhibit-10 contracts on Tuesday. This will give both of them the opportunity to play for a roster spot when training camp rolls around. Funk played limited minutes during the summer league, but during his graduate year at Penn State, he averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Franklin last played at Virginia and posted averages of 12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Mike Singer

2 months agoThe Brooklyn Nets and guard Armoni Brooks have agreed to a two-way contract for the upcoming season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 25-year-old shooting guard played for both the Rockets and Raptors but did not appear in a game last year, as he played for the Hawks' G-League affiliate. Over the course of 28 games in the G League, Brooks averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 44.45% from the floor and 38.4% from beyond the arc.--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Michael Scotto

2 months agoAs reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Sacramento Kings are signing free-agent center Nerlens Noel to a one-year deal. The contract is worth $3.1 million and he'll most likely slot into the backup center role that Richaun Holmes vacated. The problem is that slot was very deep into the bench. Alex Len and Trey Lyles have spent time at center behind Domantas Sabonis. So, fantasy managers might want to wait and see if Noel will be getting more minutes before using any draft capital on him this season.--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski