Cade, Pistons to host Celtics to tip off season

The Warriors have roster spots to fill, but not much cap space to do it. Due to a left foot injury, Niang did not play at all in 2025-26, beginning his year with the Jazz before being sent to Memphis as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. As for Williams, he appeared in 66 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 13.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 22.2 minutes. While he did record career-best averages, Williams’ increased opportunities came as a result of Kyrie Irving missing the entire season with a torn ACL. He and Niang are capable contributors if they were to land with the Warriors, but neither qualifies as a must-draft player in most leagues.

Beal’s first season with the Clippers did not go as planned, as he appeared in just six games before a fractured hip required season-ending surgery. The veteran guard opted out of the final year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent, and he’s yet to find a new home. Miami has been mentioned as a possible destination for Beal, but various reports have the team’s priority being Dallas wing Klay Thompson. The Clippers are in a state of flux right now because Toronto has put the Kawhi Leonard trade on hold while the NBA continues its investigation into the contract he and Los Angeles agreed to years ago. While a healthy Beal can offer tangible fantasy value, his inability to stay healthy in recent years makes him a risky draft pick in standard leagues.

Leonard was traded to Toronto in late June, with the Clippers receiving Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and future draft capital. However, the ongoing investigation into Leonard’s Clippers contract led the Raptors to pause the deal, as potential penalties could affect Toronto. Despite new information about an undisclosed sponsorship with Daktronics reported by Pablo Torre, Leonard is going through his offseason expecting to be a Raptor by the time training camp opens in late September. When available, Leonard is one of the best players to have rostered in fantasy basketball. However, the injury history combined with this investigation will give managers something to think about at draft time.

Per usual, the NBA will have its brightest stars playing on Christmas Day. The NBA Finals rematch will start the day at 12 p.m. ET and will be followed by Heat-Celtics, 76ers-Lakers, Thunder-Timberwolves and Nuggets-Warriors. Aside from the team and player rivalries that will add to the drama, this will also be LeBron James’ return to Los Angeles after spending the last eight seasons as a Laker.

The most important note here is the start time. Typically, there are two night games on opening night, but this game will tip off at 3 p.m. ET. Managers will have to set their lineups earlier than usual. There are still two night games, with the defending-champion Knicks hosting the new-look 76ers, which will be followed by a Western Conference Finals rematch, with the Spurs hosting the Thunder. All three games will be broadcasted on NBC and Peacock. Other nationally-televised games for the first week have been revealed as well, and the full schedule will be released this week.

The 55th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Olbrich spent his first NBA season with the Bulls on a two-way contract. He appeared in 37 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 2.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 9.3 minutes per outing. Olbrich spent this summer with the Warriors, contributing to a team that won the Vegas Summer League.

After splitting the 2024-25 season between the Nets and Clippers, Simmons did not play in the NBA in 2025-26. In fact, he did not play anywhere, with the time off allowing the former first overall pick to recover from back issues that helped torpedo what appeared to be a promising career. Simmons will not be under any restrictions at the player-led minicamp, and he reportedly hopes to represent Australia in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Regarding his NBA outlook, multiple teams have expressed interest in Simmons, according to Spears. He is said to be open to signing for the veteran’s minimum, which is likely the most that he would be able to sign for given the time missed.

Kawamura has appeared in 40 NBA games over two seasons, most recently spending the 2025-26 season with the Bulls on a two-way deal. In 18 NBA appearances for Chicago, the 5-foot-9 guard averaged 3.6 points and 2.6 assists in 11.6 minutes. Kawamura played for the Pacers’ summer league team in Las Vegas, doing enough to earn a training camp invite from the Clippers. He still has two-way contract eligibility, and that may be the path that Kawamura is asked to take in 2026-27.

Embiid and the 76ers disappointingly saw their season end as the Knicks swept them in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Since then, there’s been a change in leadership, with Gansey replacing Daryl Morey. In addition to acquiring Jaylen Brown from the Celtics, the 76ers signed LeBron James in free agency. Expectations going into next season will be sky-high, and it helps that Embiid can use this offseason to hone his craft instead of recovering from another injury. “This is like the first summer I think in a while that he’s been healthy, so he’s been in the gym working out,” Gansey told ESPN. “He’s been lifting weights. He’s extra motivated. He wants to play a lot of games, and he’s excited about the group we’ve built now. Even before these trades and LeBron, I think he was excited. So he’s motivated to have a good year and he’s ready to go.” When healthy, Embiid can be one of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. However, the injury history will likely keep many managers from selecting him with a first-round pick in drafts.

Edwards put together another excellent season in 2025-26, averaging a career-high 28.8 points per game while also putting up 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks and 3.4 three-pointers. However, Finch believes that the Timberwolves may have done their star guard a “disservice” by playing him on the ball so much. With Mike Conley’s limited production and fellow starter Donte DiVincenzo not being a point guard, the circumstances put Minnesota in a position where the ball needed to be in Edwards’ hands more. However, that approach eventually caught up to them, as San Antonio was able to overload its defense in a second-round series that ended in six games. With LaMelo Ball now in the fold, Edwards is going to spend most of his time playing off the ball, which should allow him more opportunities to play downhill.