RADIO
Klay Thompson Could Join the Heat Via a Mavericks Buyout
Dallas Mavericks guard/forward Klay Thompson could land with the Heat if Dallas agrees to a buyout, per Anthony Slater, as relayed by Evan Sidery. Sidery also floated a hypothetical Miami lineup featuring LeBron James, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo if the team were to add both veterans. Temper the excitement: Dallas has little incentive to rush a buyout, and the superteam angle depends on James choosing Miami. For fantasy, the aging sharpshooter offers little beyond volume threes now. Thompson posted career lows of 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists last season, though he still drilled 2.9 threes per game at 38.3 percent. In that star-heavy setup, he would likely be a low-usage spot-up shooter, leaving him as a deep-league threes specialist at most.
Source: Evan Sidery
Source: Evan Sidery
Ivica Zubac Becomes Eligible for $95 Million Pacers Extension
Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac is eligible for a three-year, roughly $95 million extension, per Evan Sidery, and he looks like a strong candidate after Indiana paid a steep price to install him at the five. The Pacers sent what became the No. 5 pick and an unprotected 2029 first-rounder to the Clippers for Zubac, who remains on a team-friendly deal paying just over $20 million annually through 2028. For fantasy, Zubac is a rock-solid center after averaging 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 59.8 percent shooting last season. The upside case gets cleaner when Tyrese Haliburton returns, as Zubac fits as a strong pick-and-roll and lob partner. Draft him as a reliable early-to-mid-round center with field-goal percentage and rebounding as the anchors.
Source: Evan Sidery
Source: Evan Sidery
Lakers Dangling Dalton Knecht for Possible Trade
Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward Dalton Knecht may finally get the change of scenery his fantasy value needs, with the Lakers reportedly shopping him and Jarred Vanderbilt as they explore ways to create room for a possible Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. Knecht, the No. 17 pick in 2024, saw his development stall on a star-heavy roster, sliding from a promising 9.1 points and 1.6 threes per game as a rookie to just 4.2 points on 34.2 percent shooting from deep last season. The fantasy nuance is that Knecht can score, unlike a pure defensive specialist, and a move to a team needing shooting could revive deep-league value. On the Lakers, he remains buried and off the radar, but a trade would make him worth another look as a situational streamer.
Source: Evan Sidery
Source: Evan Sidery
Lakers Shopping Jarred Vanderbilt
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is being shopped as a salary-matching piece, with the Lakers looking for a third team to absorb his and Dalton Knecht's contracts to unlock a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade, per Evan Sidery. Vanderbilt is owed $12.4 million next season and holds a $13.3 million player option for 2027-28, making him difficult to route directly to Atlanta in a Kuminga framework. For fantasy, the takeaway is bleak either way. Vanderbilt is an elite defender but an offensive non-factor, averaging 4.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.8 steals on 29.3 percent three-point shooting last season, and durability has long been a concern. He holds no standard-league value. A move to a rebuilder could give him minutes and deep-league steals-and-boards utility, but on the Lakers, he remains a specialist off the fantasy radar.
Source: Evan Sidery
Source: Evan Sidery
Jae'Sean Tate Lands Partially Guaranteed Deal With Rockets
The Houston Rockets and forward Jae'Sean Tate have agreed to a one-year, $3.07 million deal, partially guaranteed for $1.04 million, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, keeping the veteran with the only NBA franchise he has known. The partial guarantee tells the story: this is a fringe-roster, camp-battle deal, not a rotation promise. A versatile defender and respected locker-room presence, Tate has watched his role vanish on a loaded Rockets contender, averaging a career-low 8.8 minutes last season while spending time in the G League. With Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. among the forwards ahead of him, there is no runway here. Tate carries no fantasy value and would need a rash of injuries to surface even in the deepest leagues.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Jordan Walsh Agrees to a Three-Year Extension With Boston
Boston Celtics forward Jordan Walsh has agreed to a three-year, $15 million extension through 2029-30, per Shams Charania of ESPN, after Boston picked up his $2.4 million option for next season. The team-friendly number, well under the roughly $21.2 million maximum he was eligible for, fits Brad Stevens' pattern of locking up role players cheaply. Walsh, 22, is an elite perimeter defender and improving shooter who hit 38.4 percent from three last season, when he averaged 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 17.8 minutes across 68 games. The deal secures his future but not his fantasy value: with Jayson Tatum back from his Achilles injury, Walsh's role likely shifts closer to the bench. He stays a deep-league defensive flier and dynasty watch, given his age and defense, rather than a standard-league add.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Trae Young Shifts to a Present-Focused Mindset After Injuries
Washington Wizards guard Trae Young is framing his offseason around health after an injury-wrecked 2025-26, telling Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he looked too far ahead last season and plans a more present-focused approach. Young, who re-signed long-term, reiterated that Washington is where he wants to be and that he intends to grow with the team's young core. For fantasy, this is a bounce-back setup: a healthy Young is an elite hub, a career 25.1-point, 9.8-assist producer who commands the ball on a rebuilding roster with usage to spare. Knee and quad problems held him to exactly 15 games last season, so availability is the whole question. A present-focused, healthy Young would be a first-round-caliber assists-and-threes source; the mindset shift matters only if it keeps him on the floor.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Nuggets Rebuff Salary-Dump Offers for Cameron Johnson
Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson appears likely to stay put, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Nuggets have rebuffed salary-dump inquiries on Johnson, who is owed $23.06 million in the final year of his deal. Even under second-apron pressure, Denver was pleased enough with his production to hold him. Johnson posted career-high efficiency in his first Nuggets season, shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 43.0 percent from three while averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across 54 games, a knee bone bruise costing him over a month. The fantasy read is steady but modest: playing off Nikola Jokic lifts his percentages but caps his volume, making him an efficient deeper-league wing rather than a standard-league must-draft. A late surge to 15.2 points a night hints at more if his usage climbs.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Wizards Plan to Extend Anthony Davis Amid Trade Rumors
Washington Wizards forward/center Anthony Davis is at the center of dueling storylines, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Washington plans to open extension talks once Davis becomes eligible on August 6, a deal that could reach four years and roughly $275 million, while Golden State has pushed to trade for him and pair him with LeBron James. The Wizards have rebuffed those inquiries so far, viewing Davis as a veteran pillar of their rebuild. For fantasy, the health picture towers over the drama: Davis is a first-round, five-category force when right, but a ligament tear in his left hand wiped out his Washington debut, and he played just 20 games in 2025-26. Draft the ceiling if it comes at a discount, but his games total, not his address, is the real variable.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Bennedict Mathurin's Free Agency Freezes
Los Angeles Clippers guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin remains an unsigned restricted free agent, with his situation frozen by the Kawhi Leonard investigation, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Clippers hold Mathurin's rights and want him back, but they are reluctant to make roster decisions while Leonard's Aspiration case stalls his expected trade to Toronto. Several teams, Detroit among them, have explored a sign-and-trade. The fantasy stakes ride on the outcome: Mathurin is a career-high 17.6-point scorer, but a return to a crowded Clippers perimeter behind Darius Garland would cap his role, while a sign-and-trade to a needier team, say Detroit next to Cade Cunningham, could unlock more. His shaky 31.5 percent three-point stroke limits him in nine-cat regardless. Monitor the resolution before drafting.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Suns Hope to Sign Miles Bridges to a Long-Term Extension
Phoenix Suns forward Miles Bridges is expected to be part of the team's long-term plans after arriving from Charlotte this offseason, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Bridges enters the final year of his contract at $22.83 million and would be a free agent next summer, so Phoenix has incentive to lock him in. On the floor, that is a positive fantasy signal: he steps into a defined starting forward role next to Devin Booker on a retooled, post-Durant roster. Bridges averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 46.0 percent shooting across 77 games last season and has topped 20 points a night in three different years. Draft him as a steady mid-round scorer, with a crowded Suns wing group the only cap on a bigger leap.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Nikola Vucevic Isn't Planning to Retire After Next Season
Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic does not plan to make 2026-27 his final NBA season, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, citing the Magic's win-now direction under new coach Sean Sweeney, his history with the franchise, and family reasons for returning on a one-year deal. The 35-year-old, who turns 36 in October, retired from international play but still expects to keep going in the NBA. He averaged 15.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 36.9 percent from three last season. In Orlando, though, he projects as the backup behind entrenched starter Wendell Carter Jr. and will likely split those reserve minutes with Goga Bitadze. That caps his fantasy ceiling: his scoring gives him streaming value in deeper formats, but the timeshare keeps him off standard-league radars unless Carter misses time, at which point he becomes genuinely useful.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Mario Hezonja Rejects EuroLeague Insurance to Bet on the NBA
Free agent forward Mario Hezonja is all-in on his NBA return, rejecting conditional offers from three EuroLeague clubs that would have secured his rights if the comeback fell flat, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. The former No. 5 overall pick left Real Madrid this month after a strong four-year run, capped by a 2026 Liga ACB MVP and a EuroLeague Finals appearance. The catch for fantasy managers: he has not signed yet, and Marc Stein reports his market is tangled up with the teams chasing LeBron James. Hezonja is a 31-year-old who averaged just 6.9 points across 330 NBA games in his first stint and has been out of the league since 2020. His self-belief is nice, but temper expectations. He is a deep-league monitor at best until his team and role come into focus.
Source: Donatas Urbonas
Source: Donatas Urbonas
Rockets Hire Shooting Guru Chip Engelland for Ime Udoka's Staff
The Houston Rockets are hiring respected shooting coach Chip Engelland for head coach Ime Udoka's staff, per Shams Charania of ESPN, reuniting the two after their long run together in San Antonio. Engelland spent the last four years in Oklahoma City and built his reputation over two decades remaking NBA jumpers. His arrival offers a significant developmental boost for Houston's young core. The clearest beneficiary is Amen Thompson, an elite athlete and defender whose lone weakness is his outside shot: even modest gains there would push the ascending guard toward the next fantasy tier. Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. also stand to gain from a specialist who has spent a career turning non-shooters into threats, making this a quietly meaningful hire for anyone banking on a leap from the Rockets' youth.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Jaron Pierre Jr. Comes Home on a Pelicans Two-Way Deal
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jaron Pierre Jr. has agreed to a two-way deal with his hometown team, per Marc Stein, the No. 58 pick becoming the first New Orleans native the franchise has ever drafted. Pierre is a proven college scorer: he averaged 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 37.0 percent shooting from three in his lone SMU season, a year after winning Conference USA Player of the Year with 21.6 points a game at Jacksonville State. The feel-good story aside, a crowded New Orleans backcourt and a two-way tag point him toward the G League's new Laketown Squadron. His lack of an immediate path to NBA minutes keeps him entirely off the fantasy radar for now.
Source: Marc Stein
Source: Marc Stein
