Christian Anderson Jr. tallies 12 points vs. NOP

Reese was productive last year for the Wizards after going undrafted, but he was traded to Denver, who waived him immediately after, in August to help facilitate that Peyton Watson trade. Reese will now get a chance in New Orleans, though he likely won’t see the minutes he saw late last season in Washington.

The important thing to note is that this isn’t because they’re still hurt, but rather because the Thunder want to bring them along slowly since both are returning from multiple injuries. While they are both exciting young prospects that could make an impact for OKC in the future, it is unlikely that either will play a significant role this season due to how much depth they have.

Not only will all three take on larger roles with Luguentz Dort now in Atlanta, but Presti is expecting genuine jumps in their production. All 3 players had strong stretches for OKC last season, and they’ll be relied on once again to help the Thunder get back on track after losing in the Western Conference Finals last season. Wallace seems like the most likely choice to start, but Mitchell and McCain will play big minutes off the bench.

J-Dub missed a lot of time with a right hamstring injury during the regular season last year, and then he injured his left one during the postseason. However, after a full offseason to recover, Williams appears poised to bounce back after a frustrating season that started with him missing time with a wrist injury. He is a fantasy star when healthy and should be ready to make a big impact this season.

Sarr underwent on his right foot in June after fracturing it during an offseason workout. Foot injuries for big men aren’t something to toy around with, and they’ll take the necessary precautions, which means he’ll be limited during camp. Sarr will be an important piece of the starting lineup once again this season and will form a formidable duo down low alongside Anthony Davis. However, that can only happen if the pair are healthy.

Lively underwent season-ending surgery in December after playing in just seven games last season. It’s unclear what his status will be as the regular season approaches, though he hasn’t suffered any setbacks. It just takes time for a big man to recover from a major foot surgery, and they don’t want to rush him back and risk further injury. If he isn’t available for the season opener, Daniel Gafford should be locked in as the starting center, and even if Lively is available, Gafford still may start if they opt to bring Lively along slowly.

Charania’s report aired on ESPN Wednesday afternoon. Towns is eligible to sign a four-year, $276 million max extension. According to a report from Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, the Knicks are asking Towns to take less than the max, which explains how the negotiations have seemingly fallen apart. Towns’ stock will likely never be higher coming off a championship run where he was arguably the second-best player on the team. He’s coming off the board in the early part of the second-round of fantasy drafts.

Ball reflected on his NBA career in a podcast appearance that made the rounds Wednesday morning. The 28-year-old point guard spoke about how he had given everything to the game of basketball and even candidly admitted he never reached the peak of his potential due to chronic knee injuries. Still, Ball never explicitly said he was retiring and cleared up confusion over whether he intends to continue his NBA career in a tweet Wednesday. He indicated that he’s waiting for a team to show interest in signing him and also mentioned the length of the NBA season, implying he might be willing to join a team midseason as an injury replacement. For now, it doesn’t seem like the last chapter of Ball’s NBA career has been written just yet.

“I don’t want there to be no drama,” Curry told ESPN Wednesday. “No talking points. This team should be competitive and go win.” The 38-year-old point guard became eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million extension in August. Curry is currently in the final year of his contract, but described finishing his career with the Warriors as an “obvious goal.” Golden State will begin practicing next week in Hawaii as Curry prepares for his 18th season in NBA.

Ball missed all of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with knee injuries and wasn’t the same player in his last two seasons. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Lakers, Ball spent two years each with Los Angeles, New Orleans and Chicago before spending his last season in Cleveland. Ball was selected to the All-Rookie team in 2017-18 and averaged 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists across 322 career games in the NBA.