Scotto: Pelicans waive Hunter Dickinson

According to Shams, the Pels asked the Clippers to withdraw their qualifying offer on the restricted free agent so that they could get the deal done. Mathurin’s deal includes a player option that will give him the chance to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer. He should play a significant role for New Orleans, though the competition for minutes will be fiercer than it was in LA.

Like Detroit’s Jalen Duren, Mathurin’s status as a restricted free agent has made the task of landing a contract a challenging one. Few teams have the cap space to make the former lottery pick an attractive offer, and the Clippers also have to factor in the Kawhi Leonard trade, which the Raptors paused while the NBA investigates his contract. According to Fischer, the Pelicans remain interested in adding Mathurin via sign-and-trade. However, with more players becoming trade-eligible in September, that may have to wait. Another option for Mathurin is to accept the Clippers’ qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Thanks to a foot injury suffered before the start of training camp, Niang did not play at all in 2025-26 after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Jazz. The veteran forward, who was sent to Memphis as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, was waived shortly thereafter. Playing for the Cavaliers and Hawks, Niang averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.1 three-pointers per game in 2024-25, shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. He’ll provide the Warriors with added frontcourt depth but is unlikely to be in a position where he consistently affects fantasy basketball.

In his third season with Dallas, Williams enjoyed the most productive campaign of his career behind averages of 13 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 “stocks.” He’ll offer depth to a Warriors team that surprisingly stood pat during free agency, and Williams will compete for backup guard minutes with the likes of De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard.

The Heat continue filling out their roster, most recently signing Klay Thompson to a two-year deal. However, they still need interior depth, and Richards is reportedly under consideration. Stein’s report aligns with those of Heat beat reporters in recent days. However, if he were to sign with the Heat, Richards’ addition would not have a significant impact on fantasy basketball.

After fighting to establish himself as an NBA player in his first four seasons of professional basketball, Williams broke through in 2025-26. With Kyrie Irving unavailable as he recovered from a torn ACL, Williams appeared in 66 games for the Mavericks. In those appearances, he averaged 13.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 79.3 percent from the foul line. While his signing gives the Warriors another option on the perimeter, Williams is not a must-draft player in redraft leagues.

The 60th pick in June’s draft, Lewis spent the last two seasons with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Last season, he shot nearly 39 percent from three and averaged 6.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Whether they were considering signing Lewis to a two-way or standard contract, the Bucks now have another roster spot to work with as they finalize their roster thanks to his decision to remain overseas.

This timeline has Sharpe returning after the All-Star break, though some sort of ramp-up period should be expected, meaning he likely won’t play a significant role until at least March. Sharpe was likely going to be a big contributor off the bench this season, which will likely force Portland to turn to smaller lineups, featuring two of Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, more often. The wings that may take on more minutes in Sharpe’s absence are Vít Krejčí and Sidy Cissoko, though it is unlikely either plays enough to be worth taking a chance on late in your fantasy draft.

Coming off the most productive season of his NBA career, Duren appeared to be in line for a significant payday this summer. However, a subpar showing in the postseason cast doubt on whether the center was worth the max contract that he hopes to land. With Duren a restricted free agent and few teams having the cap space to meet his asking price, the Pistons held the leverage when free agency began in late June. Rumors suggested the Lakers and Kings were interested in a sign-and-trade, but the former added Walker Kessler and the latter has not moved Domantas Sabonis. So, the staring contest between Duren and the Pistons continues, and it’s fair to wonder if the nature of the negotiations will affect the center’s production in 2026-27. As he showed last season, Duren has top-50 value in fantasy basketball, but he has to agree to a deal first.

Thompson’s departure from the Mavericks comes with a price. However, the veteran sharpshooter will now move on to the next chapter of his career, which will reportedly be with the Miami Heat. In joining the Heat, Thompson would likely come off the bench and play an important floor-spacing role for a team that could use all the three-point shooting possible. Thompson averaged 11.7 points and shot 38.3 percent from deep last season with Dallas.