Windhorst: teams prepared to bid for Jaylen Brown

Trent Jr., an eight-year veteran, is coming off his least productive NBA season since he was a rookie. Still, he came close to averaging double figures in points as a part-time starter while shooting a solid 36.0 percent from beyond the arc. He has never offered much more from a fantasy standpoint than the aforementioned scoring and three-point shooting, so there’s no reason to expect him to provide much fantasy value as his production and playing time continue to decline. Yet, he could serve as a solid role player on the wing for a team looking for floor spacing and perimeter defense.

Alvarado pushed back the deadline to make a decision on his player option to Friday, giving him and the Knicks time to make a deal. Had he opted into the final season of his contract, the point guard would have received $4.5 million. Alvarado’s agreement to the new deal gives the front office a little more room to fill out the Knicks’ roster, especially if it’s backloaded. Given his role as Jalen Brunson’s backup, “Grand Theft Alvarado” is more important to the Knicks than to fantasy managers.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Miles played six seasons of college basketball: three at Troy and one each at High Point, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. This past season, he helped lead Vanderbilt to a second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament, averaging 16.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.7 three-pointers. Miles largely relied on his basketball IQ and defensive instincts to wreak havoc on that end of the floor, and he was also a solid playmaker in the two-man game.

Oklahoma City recently dealt Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks for picks, and Joe is the latest in a series of moves to clear cap space. Lu Dort is another name to keep an eye on as the Thunder look to shed salary. In the meantime, the absences of Wiggins and Joe should mean more run for Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, two players who had strong postseason performances. Joe’s fantasy stock is on the rise in Detroit, as he could be a starter or Sixth Man thanks to his elite floor-spacing abilities.

While injuries limited Porter to 38 games, he had one of the most productive seasons of his NBA career. The 2019 first-round pick averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 three-pointers, shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 87.8 percent from the foul line. Porter’s per-game fantasy value was excellent, but availability issues kept his rostered percentage relatively low. With the Bucks moving on from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Porter is one of the players who will be asked to pick up the slack offensively. That bodes well for his fantasy value in 2026-27, provided he remains healthy.

One week after the Suns tendered Williams a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, the two sides reached a verbal agreement on a new contract. Acquired from the Hornets last offseason, the 7-footer appeared in 60 regular-season games for the first time in his four-year NBA career. Williams averaged 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks, shooting 64.4 percent from the field and 77.1 percent from the foul line. Williams missed nearly a month of action in March due to a lingering foot issue, and health concerns usually knock him down a few rounds in fantasy drafts.

After appearing in 39 NBA games in his first two seasons, Gueye played in 77 games in 2025-26. The 6-foot-10 forward provided additional depth in the frontcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes. With the Hawks drafting Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar and possibly looking to add another frontcourt player in free agency, Gueye’s opportunities may take a hit in 2026-27.

With the addition of Derik Queen to the Pelicans’ roster, Matković’s opportunities to contribute decreased last season. Appearing in 62 games, he averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 14.7 minutes. Matković’s role is unlikely to change much next season with Queen and Yves Missi also on the roster.

Butler, who suffered a torn right ACL during a January 19 game against the Heat, said during a recent appearance that he is making strides in his recovery. However, he still has not been cleared to run or jump off two feet, and the veteran forward also has not been allowed to land on his right leg. Butler guessed that he’s a month and a half away from being cleared to resume running. Given when the injury occurred, Butler may not be ready to go when the Warriors open training camp in late September. However, the Warriors’ focus is on him being healthy for the stretch run as the franchise looks to win another title during Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s time in San Francisco.

After three seasons at UNC Greensboro, Atwell transferred to Texas Tech for his final season. Starting all 34 games for the Red Raiders, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.8 three-pointers while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from three and 84.1 percent from the foul line. Atwell is one of the best shooters in this draft class, and the Bulls signed him on an Exhibit 10 deal.