RADIO
Jericho Sims Secures $2.8 Million Option With Milwaukee
Center Jericho Sims is choosing the sure thing over free agency. The Bucks center plans to exercise his $2.8 million player option for 2026-27, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports. It lands him in a Milwaukee frontcourt that looks nothing like last year's after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Sims made the most of his first full season as a Buck, averaging 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 19.7 minutes across 67 games with 19 starts. He is a rim-runner who shot a career-best 78.4 percent from the field and even logged a triple-double in April. With the rotation wide open and starter Myles Turner drawing trade interest, the backup center minutes are there for Sims to seize. He has to earn them, but the door is more open than it has been in years.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Mouhamed Gueye Locked in on Fourth-Year Hawks Option
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports the Atlanta Hawks have exercised their fourth-year, $2.41 million team option on center/power forward Mouhamed Gueye. He's a defense-first big who can guard all five positions, a versatility Atlanta prizes more than his box score. Gueye set a career high with 77 games last season, averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes while filling in as a makeshift backup center in the playoffs. He flashed more with real minutes, posting 10.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while hitting 50.0 percent from three across eight starts. The fantasy catch is opportunity. Atlanta drafted Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar, with Onyeka Okongwu and Asa Newell also in the frontcourt mix. His value to the Hawks is real, but fantasy relevance likely depends on injuries opening the door.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Pelicans Exercise Third-Year Option on Karlo Matkovic
Center/power forward Karlo Matkovic will be back in New Orleans next season. The Pelicans exercised their $2.30 million third-year team option on Matkovic, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports. The floor-spacing big fills a real need for a New Orleans frontcourt short on shooting. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in just 14.7 minutes across 62 games while connecting on 60.4 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from three-point range. There's little standalone fantasy value at that workload, but he produced more when the rotation thinned, posting 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 22.3 minutes over his final 32 outings. Stuck behind Derik Queen and Yves Missi, Matkovic's value hinges on minutes. Should New Orleans decline Kevon Looney's separate option, he could carve out a larger role.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Raptors Secure Jamal Shead on $2.30 Million Team Option
The Toronto Raptors have exercised their $2.30 million team option on point guard Jamal Shead for 2026-27, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports. It was a straightforward call on a backup point guard who appeared in all 82 games last season. Shead averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 rebounds in 22.8 minutes, with an impact that ran deeper than the scoring line. He led the NBA in assists off the bench and finished second in offensive fouls drawn. With Immanuel Quickley entrenched as the starter, Shead's standalone fantasy value stays low, but it spikes whenever Quickley misses time. That played out in the postseason, when Shead made four starts and logged 32.0 minutes a night in Quickley's absence. The cheap option also keeps a defensive-minded mentor in place for rookie Jaden Bradley.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Kevin Porter Jr. Exercises $5.39 Million Option to Stay with Bucks
Point guard Kevin Porter Jr. is exercising his $5.39 million player option to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks for 2026-27, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports. The combo guard stays put as Milwaukee reshapes its roster following the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Porter was productive before the injury ended his season, averaging 17.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals over 38 games. He shot a career-best 46.5 percent from the field but just 32.2 percent from three-point range. Antetokounmpo's departure opens up shot creation, but the backcourt got crowded in a hurry. Newly acquired Tyler Herro projects to handle the ball, and Ryan Rollins played well as a fill-in starter, averaging 22.5 points and 5.8 assists when Porter was sidelined. His assists and steals keep Porter valuable, though his usage may not climb as much as the headline change implies.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Mark Williams Agrees to a Three-Year Deal With the Suns
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams intends to sign a fully guaranteed three-year, $38 million contract to return to Phoenix. The 24-year-old is coming off the healthiest season of his career, averaging 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 23.6 minutes while shooting 64.4 percent from the field. He still carries availability risk after missing the first-round series with a left foot stress reaction, but the deal gives him the inside track to remain Phoenix's starting center. Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro are worth monitoring behind him, although Williams should remain the preferred fantasy option if he holds the top role.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Coby White Returning to Hornets on Three-Year Deal
Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White intends to sign a three-year, $74 million deal to return to the team, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. White is expected to step into a larger role after Charlotte agreed to trade LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid and draft capital. The 26-year-old averaged 17.4 points, 4.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 threes while shooting 44.6 percent from the field last season. His assists should climb as the new starting guard, while Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel also project for bigger creation roles in Charlotte's reworked offense.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Bucks Add South East Melbourne Forward Malique Lewis as the 60th Pick
The Milwaukee Bucks are receiving forward Malique Lewis after the Washington Wizards selected him with the No. 60 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, and his rights moved through Orlando. The 21-year-old played for South East Melbourne in Australia, averaging 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 21.2 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from deep, and 82.6 percent at the line. Lewis has a narrow fantasy path as the final pick, but his defensive versatility, corner-shooting growth, and transition finishing give Milwaukee a useful developmental wing to bring along gradually.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Al Horford Staying with Warriors for 20th NBA Season
Golden State Warriors forward/center Al Horford is declining his $6 million player option and intends to sign a new two-year, $14 million deal to stay with the team, according to ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater. Horford is also set to become the 13th player in NBA history to reach 20 seasons. The 40-year-old averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 1.6 threes in 21.5 minutes last season. His fantasy ceiling is limited at this stage, but Horford can still help in threes, blocks, and low-turnover production when Golden State needs a veteran frontcourt spacer around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Josh Green Traded to the Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired guard/forward Josh Green from the Charlotte Hornets as part of the trade involving LaMelo Ball and Naz Reid, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Green had a limited offensive role in Charlotte last season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. He will not be a high-usage fantasy target with Ball and Anthony Edwards now in the same backcourt, but he gives Minnesota another defensive wing who can run in transition and space the floor in bench-heavy units. Green's value would likely need injuries or a larger-than-expected rotation role to move beyond a watch-list profile.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Naz Reid Traded to the Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets acquired big man Naz Reid as part of the blockbuster trade sending LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 26-year-old averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep for Minnesota last season. Reid's fantasy outlook gets more interesting with the Hornets, especially if Charlotte gives him a bigger frontcourt role after years of sharing touches in Minnesota. Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel should see more creation chances with Ball gone, but Reid gives the roster a proven floor-spacing big who can score without needing plays called for him.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
LaMelo Ball Traded to Timberwolves in Blockbuster Deal
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is headed to Minnesota with Josh Green in a blockbuster deal that sends Naz Reid and a large draft-pick package to Charlotte, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Ball had a healthier 2025-26 campaign, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 72 games for the Hornets. The move puts him next to Anthony Edwards, which should cut into Ball's on-ball dominance but may help his efficiency if he gets more catch-and-shoot looks and easier transition chances. His fantasy ceiling remains tied to assists, threes, and steals, but this is no longer a situation where every possession has to run through him.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Timberwolves Select Trey Kaufman-Renn With No. 59 Pick
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn with the No. 59 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. NBA.com lists the 23-year-old at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, and he closed his Purdue career by averaging 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 57.8 percent from the field as a senior. His fantasy appeal is built around field-goal percentage, rebounding, and low-post efficiency, but the second-round landing spot gives him a narrow early path. Kaufman-Renn will likely need to prove he can defend faster frontcourt players and add functional range before earning steady NBA minutes.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Pelicans Draft Hometown Scorer Jaron Pierre Jr.
The New Orleans Pelicans selected SMU guard/forward Jaron Pierre Jr. with the No. 58 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The New Orleans native gives the Pelicans an experienced scoring option after averaging 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in 33.0 minutes while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from deep, and 75.8 percent at the line. Pierre previously averaged 21.6 points at Jacksonville State, so the scoring track record is real. His fantasy value will be limited early, but three-level scoring and wing size give him a path to compete for bench minutes.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Narcisse Ngoy Joins Clippers as Draft-and-Stash Center
The Los Angeles Clippers acquired French center Narcisse Ngoy after the Atlanta Hawks selected him with the No. 57 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old played for Poitiers in France's ELITE 2, averaging 9.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 24.6 minutes while shooting 68.0 percent from the field. Ngoy also signed with Auburn for the 2026-27 season, so this profiles more like a draft-and-stash play than an immediate fantasy situation. His rebounding and shot-blocking are the fantasy draw, but managers may need to wait before seeing those numbers tested in an NBA rotation.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
