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Lauri Markkanen Drops 23 to Lead Finland Past Hungary
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen poured in a game-high 23 points, adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists, to lead Finland past Hungary 85-77 in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. "The Finnisher" shot 7-of-14 from the field and got to the line at will, giving his national team a reliable No. 1 option down the stretch and showing his scoring travels against physical international defense. The fantasy takeaway, though, is more complicated than the box score. Markkanen is a gifted scorer, coming off a career-high 26.7 points per game, but he suited up for just 42 contests last season because Utah tanked and sat him down the stretch, drawing a $500,000 league fine. Add in perennial trade chatter, and the Jazz situation, not his talent, is the real fantasy variable. Value the scoring, but discount it for the games Utah may not let him play.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Nikola Jokic Leads Serbia Past Switzerland in World Cup Qualifiers
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic posted 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists with zero turnovers to lead Serbia past Switzerland 97-73 and into the second round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. The three-time MVP was Serbia's hub in every phase, and with Nuggets teammate Jamal Murray watching from the stands, he looked noticeably leaner and more agile, sparking offseason buzz about his conditioning. For fantasy, this is pure reassurance. Jokic is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick after averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and a career-high 10.7 assists last season, and a dominant, healthy summer only reinforces that. The one footnote to track is workload: Serbia expects him across multiple qualifying windows, adding offseason mileage to a 31-year-old, though few players are more durable. Draft him first with total confidence.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Myron Gardner Sprains Ankle in Heat's Summer League Opener
Miami Heat forward Myron Gardner (ankle) exited early from Friday's California Classic opener against San Antonio, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. Gardner was held to two points in just 6:50 after spraining his left ankle. There's no fantasy alarm to sound here. This is a summer-league tweak rather than a regular-season injury, and no timeline has been given. Gardner is a deep-bench piece anyway: the 25-year-old undrafted forward parlayed a strong midseason stretch in the starting lineup into a standard three-year deal last February, but he averaged just 3.6 points in a spot role, and Miami's rotation is now built around Giannis Antetokounmpo. He wasn't a redraft factor before this, and a minor summer ankle doesn't change that.
Source: Ira Winderman
Source: Ira Winderman
Josh Okogie Signs Two-Year Deal With the Jazz
Free-agent guard/forward Josh Okogie has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Utah Jazz, Shams Charania of ESPN reports, picking Utah over several other suitors. The 27-year-old has built an eight-year career on gritty perimeter defense, and last season he finally added an offensive wrinkle, connecting on 38.5 percent from three for Houston. For fantasy, that shooting is the whole case, and it comes with a warning label: a career 29.9 percent shooter from deep rarely sustains a jump that big, so plan on some regression. The bigger issue is fit. A rebuilding Jazz team would rather hand minutes to its young wings than to a 27-year-old role player, so the open runway a thin roster seems to offer may never materialize. Okogie brings real value to Utah's defense and locker room, but at 4.5 points in 17.4 minutes, the fantasy production simply isn't there.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Trey Lyles Lands One-Year Deal With Timberwolves
Veteran forward Trey Lyles is returning to the NBA on a one-year, minimum deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports, after a season overseas with Real Madrid. The 30-year-old stretch big spent his year in Spain productively, averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while helping Real Madrid reach the EuroLeague final, though his 7.6-point career NBA average is the more realistic scoring baseline for a bench role. Minnesota brought him in for a specific reason: the Wolves are moving Julius Randle and Naz Reid this offseason, leaving a real void at power forward. That vacancy is what makes Lyles worth a glance, but keep it in perspective. He's a minimum-salary depth piece who will compete with second-year big Joan Beringer for those minutes, and Minnesota is also pursuing Rui Hachimura for the same spot. If the Wolves land a bigger name, Lyles slides down the chart. Until the frontcourt shakes out, treat him as a name to watch, not one to roster.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Andre Drummond Signs One-Year, $3.9 Million Deal With Knicks
Free-agent center Andre Drummond has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal to sign with the New York Knicks, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. The defending champions needed a backup center after Mitchell Robinson bolted for Boston, and they landed a proven one on the cheap. Drummond, a 14-year veteran and four-time rebounding champion, remains one of the league's best per-minute rebounders, averaging 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in just 19.5 minutes across 63 games last season while adding a surprising 35.6 percent stroke from three. Behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Drummond carries little standalone fantasy value. His appeal is as a handcuff: few backups turn into an instant double-double the way he does the moment the starter sits. Stash him in deeper formats and keep him at the top of your pickup list if New York's center spot ever opens up.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Caleb Love Lands Two-Way Contract With 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have signed guard Caleb Love to a two-way contract on Friday, according to Shams Charania. Love joined the Portland Trail Blazers this past season as an undrafted free agent. Across 49 games, Love averaged 10.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds across 20.7 minutes per game. There's potential here for Love to turn into a decent scoring option, but the Sixers might not be the best landing spot. The team already has plenty of guards, so Love is unlikely to play consistent minutes unless the team suffers multiple injuries. The 24-year-old is a solid depth piece, but he's unlikely to be a viable fantasy option.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Jordan Miller Inks Three-Year Deal with Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller has signed a new deal with the organization on Friday. According to Shams Charania, Miller has inked a three-year, $15.3 million deal with the Clippers. Miller joined the free agent pool as a restricted free agent, but has ultimately decided to return to Los Angeles. He took on a bigger role this past season and has impressed enough to earn himself a new three-year deal. He averaged 10.0 points, 2.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds across 22.1 minutes per game in 60 contests this past season. The departure of Kawhi Leonard figures to open up a larger role for Miller in the rotation. The Clippers also drafted Keaton Wagler and acquired Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick in the Leonard trade. There are a few new faces in Los Angeles, so we'll see how the team decides to shake out the rotation.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Rayan Rupert Signs Two-Way Deal With 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have signed guard Rayan Rupert to a two-way contract on Friday, according to Shams Charania. The Sixers continue to add depth with Rupert being the newest addition to the roster. He's a former second-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2023. He spent the first two years of his career in Portland before splitting time between the Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies this past season. He averaged 5.2 points, 1.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 64 games last season. This is mainly a depth move that is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Dorian Finney-Smith Moved to Charlotte
Houston Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. According to Shams Charania, Finney-Smith will go to Charlotte in exchange for three second-round picks. The veteran forward still has three years left on his deal, with the final year being a $13.3 million player option. The Rockets wanted to create cap space, which moving off Finney-Smith's contract certainly does for Houston. The veteran forward had a down year last season, but is normally a viable two-way player. His fantasy value will be dependent on where he shakes out in the rotation.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Jaden Hardy Heading to the Lakers
Washington Wizards guard Jaden Hardy was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, according to Shams Charania. The Wizards have traded Hardy and two second-round picks in exchange for center Deandre Ayton. The big man became expendable for the Lakers after they acquired Walker Kessler. Ayton figures to serve as the primary backup center to Alexandre Sarr. As for Hardy, he'll likely be a rotational piece for the Lakers. In 23 games with Washington, Hardy averaged 12.6 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 rebounds across 20.4 minutes per game. The 23-year-old has some scoring upside, but is unlikely to be a big part of the Lakers rotation.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Deandre Ayton Dealt to Washington
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was traded to the Washington Wizards on Friday, according to Shams Charania. Ayton will head to Washington in exchange for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks. The Lakers recently acquired Walker Kessler to be the starting center, so Ayton became movable. The big man recently picked up his player option for $8 million for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. This past season, Ayton averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks across 27.2 minutes per game in 72 contests with the Lakers. The expectation is that Ayton is going to be the primary backup to Alexandre Sarr in Washington. This move to Washington will likely decrease his fantasy value unless Sarr or Anthony Davis suffers an injury.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Javonte Green Returns to Pistons on One-Year, $3.95 Million Deal
Free-agent forward Javonte Green has agreed to a one-year, $3.95 million deal to return to the Detroit Pistons, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. The 32-year-old is a glue guy: he suited up for all 82 games last season as one of Detroit's most trusted perimeter defenders, chipping in 6.9 points in 17.6 minutes while shooting 38.1 percent from three. That defensive motor and iron-man availability matter to a Pistons team built around Cade Cunningham, but they don't add up to a fantasy box score at this usage. Here's the only angle worth filing away: in deep formats, if an injury pushes him into the starting lineup as it did last season, his steals and blocks can carry a short-term stream. Short of that, he stays on the wire.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Payton Sandfort Waived by Thunder After Two-Way Stint
The Oklahoma City Thunder waived forward Payton Sandfort, according to Andrew Schlecht. Sandfort appeared in four NBA games for Oklahoma City last season, averaging 8.8 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. He spent most of his time with the Oklahoma City Blue, where he averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Sandfort has size and shooting touch, but this move carries little fantasy fallout. He was not in line for a steady Thunder role, and his next value will depend on finding another developmental spot.
Source: Andrew Schlecht
Source: Andrew Schlecht
Neemias Queta Signs Four-Year Extension to Stay in Boston
Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta has agreed to a four-year, $56 million extension to remain in Boston, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. It caps a remarkable climb for the 26-year-old Portuguese 7-footer, who went from a two-way deal and G League stints in Maine to Boston's starting center. Queta seized that job last season after the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and let Al Horford and Luke Kornet walk, and he delivered career highs of 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 65.3 percent, third-best in the NBA. For fantasy, he's a quietly valuable category center: the field-goal percentage, boards, and blocks add up even without gaudy scoring. The extension locks in a role that only grows more central as Boston retools around a post-Jaylen Brown roster. The one cap on his ceiling is minutes, with offseason signing Mitchell Robinson now providing real depth behind him.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
