August 13, 2025
Boston Celtics guard
Anfernee Simons remains in limbo regarding his future. Sources have told Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com that Boston is having trouble finding a trade partner for Simons' expiring $27.6 million contract. Simons signed a $100 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022 and has been productive during the contract, but it appears he currently doesn't have enough trade value on the market. It's happened after a season in which Simons led Portland in scoring with 19.3 points per game and ranked second in assists with 3.8. According to Afseth, Simons "remains a trade candidate to monitor."
--Taavi PailkSource: Grant Afseth
August 13, 2025
Milwaukee Bucks guard
Cole Anthony wants to battle for the NBA championship in the upcoming campaign. "I look at it as a great opportunity to enter another team where they have a playoff pedigree and a championship pedigree," Anthony told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. "They've won a 'chip there. I just want to get in there, contribute and do whatever I can for the team. I want to be a part of winning." Anthony is likely to have a decent role with the Bucks, whether as a starter or not, and should provide at least low-tier fantasy value. Over his career, he has averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, despite only starting 125 of 320 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jason Beede
August 13, 2025
Center
Jesse Edwards will kick off the new campaign in Australia after agreeing to join Melbourne United of the NBL. The Dutch seven-footer made his NBA debut last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, appearing in two games. He played 18 games in the G League with the Iowa Wolves, averaging 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per contest. At 25 years old, Edwards is still relatively young and might get another chance in the NBA in the future. However, that depends on how well he performs outside of North America.
--Taavi PailkSource: Melbourne United
August 13, 2025
Forward
Kessler Edwards has agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets. Per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette, the 25-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 contract. Edwards, who was drafted in the second round in 2021, has already joined his fourth NBA team. In the past season, he featured in 40 games with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.2 minutes. Edwards was able to improve his numbers to 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 18 outings as a starter. His production isn't good enough to warrant attention from fantasy managers.
--Taavi PailkSource: Vinny Benedetto
August 12, 2025
Los Angeles Clippers guard
Bradley Beal is looking forward to playing for a new team in 2025. "I feel like I've got a new life of rejuvenation," said Beal during a recent interview. "I'm excited about the opportunity, new city, a new environment." Beal was once a top performer in the National Basketball Association. His best season was in 2020, when he averaged a career-high 31.3 points with the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, Beal's production has significantly decreased ever since, with the 32-year-old most recently amassing 17.0 points with the Suns throughout the 2024 campaign. He's also struggled to remain on the floor, logging 60 games or fewer in the last six seasons. Beal, who signed a two-year deal with the Clippers this offseason after getting bought out by Phoenix, is a bounce-back candidate. However, he'll need to stay off the injury report.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Tamar Sher
August 12, 2025
According to an anonymous NBA scout, Los Angeles Lakers guard
Luka Doncic appears to be in fantastic shape. "Man, he looks incredible," said the scout, who watched Doncic during a recent EuroBasket friendly contest. "He's quicker and more explosive. He's getting by people more easily. I think he's on a mission, man. I think he's gonna win MVP and the scoring title next season." The multi-time All-Star has reportedly focused on his diet and conditioning throughout the offseason, resulting in a dramatic weight loss. He spent his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks before surprisingly being dealt to the Lakers ahead of last season's deadline. Doncic played as well as expected, averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.8 steals in 28 regular-season games for Los Angeles. The 26-year-old is still in search of his first MVP award. He's also on the hunt for an NBA championship. With that in mind, Doncic has a good chance of accomplishing both before calling it a career. However, he'll need to stay healthy, which has been an issue over the years. As far as his fantasy stock is concerned, he's arguably still the No. 1 option available in any format heading into the 2025 campaign, although
Nikola Jokic and
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are also in the conversation.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Ashish Mathur
August 12, 2025
Forward/center
Kai Jones had a workout for the Miami Heat on Monday, NBA insider Chris Haynes reports. Jones is an unrestricted free agent. He's had a turbulent journey in the NBA since entering the league in 2021 as a first-round pick. After skipping the entire 2023-24 campaign, Jones signed with the Los Angeles Clippers last season and also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks. Over 40 appearances, Jones averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.7 minutes. If he signs with the Heat, Jones would bolster the team's frontcourt depth but isn't expected to be a factor in fantasy basketball.
--Taavi PailkSource: Chris Haynes
August 12, 2025
Point guard
Russell Westbrook is expected to end up with the Sacramento Kings for the start of the new season. ESPN's Tim MacMahon reports that league sources consider Sacramento the most likely destination for the former MVP. Westbrook became an unrestricted free agent this offseason after declining a $3.47 million player option to return to the Denver Nuggets. While Westbrook is way past his peak, he can still make plenty of noise in the right circumstances. Last season, the 36-year-old veteran averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in 38 starts with the Nuggets. His fantasy production might be limited in Sacramento, as Westbrook is seen as
Dennis Schroder's backup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Tim MacMahon
August 12, 2025
Forward/center
Al Horford is still without a contract but is expected to sign with the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming campaign. Sources have told ESPN's Anthony Slater that retirement remains an option for the 39-year-old big man, but the Warriors see him as "a firm part of their plan" in 2025-26. Horford looks like a good fit for the Warriors and is likely to occupy the starting center's role. In Boston, Horford started only 75 of 125 games over the last two seasons. A regular starting role would boost his fantasy outlook, but since he doesn't play in back-to-backs, Horford can't be relied on as a nightly option.
--Taavi PailkSource: Anthony Slater
August 12, 2025
Golden State Warriors forward
Jonathan Kuminga has a two-year contract offer on the table from the team, but he is reportedly leaning toward accepting a $7.9 million qualifying offer. Sources told ESPN's Anthony Slater that "Kuminga has indicated to those close to him" that he finds the qualifying offer more appealing than the team's contract offer. The Warriors have tried to secure his signature with a two-year, $45 million deal, which includes a team option for the second year and does not have an inherent no-trade clause. Meanwhile, Kuminga is seeking a three-year, $82 million pact. He has until Oct. 1 to accept the qualifying offer.
--Taavi PailkSource: Anthony Slater
August 12, 2025
Brooklyn Nets guard
Cam Thomas is "increasingly interested" in signing a $6 million qualifying offer, NBA insider Jake Fischer reports. The talented scorer remains a restricted free agent and seems to have overvalued himself. A recent report from Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily suggests that, in an ideal scenario, Thomas would want to attract offers close to $40 million a year. Brooklyn's maximum offer has reportedly been a two-year deal with a team option, worth $14.1 million annually. Thomas has been left in contract limbo despite leading the Nets in scoring last season with 24.0 points per game and posting career highs in rebounding (3.3) and assists (3.8).
--Taavi PailkSource: Jake Fischer
August 11, 2025
The Boston Celtics waived forward
Miles Norris on Sunday. Norris was released from his two-way contract to make room for
RJ Luis Jr., who was acquired on Tuesday. He spent 2024-25 in the G League, playing in over 44 games between the Maine Celtics and Memphis Hustle. The 25-year-old averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals across 30.5 minutes per contest during his appearances. With just three career NBA games under his belt, Norris will hope to land a contract elsewhere before training camp this fall.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Boston Celtics
August 11, 2025
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Detroit Pistons signed forward
Javonte Green to a one-year deal on Monday. Last campaign, Green saw action in 50 regular-season games with the Pelicans and 18 with the Cavaliers. He averaged 5.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 blocks and 1.0 steals across 18.5 minutes per contest. The 32-year-old could find himself out of the Pistons' rotation at times, having to compete with
Jaden Ivey,
Ausar Thompson,
Duncan Robinson, Ronald Holland II and
Caris LeVert for minutes.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Shams Charania
August 10, 2025
Chicago Bulls guard
Josh Giddey is still seeking a new contract that will pay him an average of $30 million per season, but the team doesn't quite agree with that figure. According to The Stein Line's Jake Fischer, the Bulls are standing firm at $20 million per season. Their last offer came in at $80 million over four years, but Giddey and his team didn't seem to budge. He remains a restricted free agent, so the Bulls ultimately have control, but some other teams have shown interest. As of right now, the Brooklyn Nets are the only team that has the cap space to offer Giddey what he wants. In his first year with Chicago, the former sixth-overall pick averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.9 turnovers per game.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Jake Fischer
August 10, 2025
San Antonio Spurs forward
Jeremy Sochan (calf) recently injured his calf while training with Poland's national team for the upcoming EuroBasket competition. The Polish Basketball Federation has announced that this will keep the 22-year-old out of it altogether. The good news, however, is that Sochan is headed back to San Antonio for treatment and does not expect to miss training camp for this coming season. Last year, Sochan appeared in 54 games and averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 turnovers per game while shooting 53.5% from the floor and 30.8% from deep.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Kurt Helin
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