Shams: DFS heading to Atlanta for Hield, Nembhard

Between Golden State and Atlanta, Hield wasn’t a fantasy basketball factor last season. Could that change in Chicago? He’s played consistent rotation minutes off the bench this preseason, and the veteran guard shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. While Hield had a good showing, there’s no need to consider him in drafts. If he is consistently productive during the season, you can pick him up off the waiver wire.

The second-year man was waived by the Hornets less than a week ago, and it didn’t take long for him to find a new team. With LaMelo Ball playing in Minnesota and Kon Knueppel (hamstring) banged up, more minutes could be up for grabs in Charlotte’s backcourt, but it will be tough for Nembhard to see enough court time to be fantasy relevant.

The Bulls also acquired cash as part of the deal. Chicago gets a veteran shooter in Hield, who was traded by the Hawks earlier this week. He averaged 7.6 points in 51 games last season. Hield can still shoot, but doesn’t offer much more to fantasy managers at this point in his career.

Nembhard, who appeared in 60 games and averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game as a rookie with the Mavericks, has been traded twice this offseason. Acquired from the Hawks on Tuesday in a trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith to Atlanta, the 6-foot guard will reportedly be waived. Once he clears waivers, Nembhard will become an unrestricted free agent. Staying with the Hornets would have eliminated what little fantasy value he had, as Charlotte has Coby White, Dennis Schröder and first-round pick Christian Anderson at point guard.

The full deal was Nembhard, Buddy Hield and cash for Dorian Finney-Smith. After going undrafted in 2025, Nembhard had a solid rookie year for Dallas. However, they ended up trading him to Atlanta in July, and he has now been swung to Charlotte. He’ll likely compete with Dennis Schroder and Christian Anderson for some of the backup point guard minutes behind Coby White.

Hield, who began the 2025-26 season with the Warriors before being sent to Atlanta in the Jonathan Kuminga trade, appeared in just seven games for the Hawks. With Atlanta adding Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins via trade and Kingston Flemings via the draft, Hield’s chances of earning rotation minutes were unlikely to improve, even though the Hawks guaranteed his salary for next season. Unfortunately for Hield, Charlotte has a similar logjam on the wings, lowering his chances of becoming fantasy-relevant in 2026-27.

Nembhard carved out a role for himself on Dallas last season after going undrafted and proved he could be a reliable table-setter. Atlanta brought back CJ McCollum, drafted Kingston Flemings and traded for Devin Carter, so Nembhard will likely be competing with Carter for a few minutes off the bench in the backcourt. However, if injuries pop up, Nembhard will be able to fill in temporarily and provide plenty of assists.

The former No. 1 overall pick wasn’t able to figure things out in Atlanta, but he’ll get a fresh start in Dallas. With Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz running the show for the Mavs, they have rebuilt this roster around Cooper Flagg by adding multiple new players in the frontcourt, including Risacher, Santi Aldama and Morez Johnson. Risacher’s role will likely be limited off the bench to start his tenure with Dallas, though a fresh start on a rebuilding team could yield him the opportunity to develop into the player the Hawks hoped he would become. The three second-round picks heading to OKC are Chicago’s 2027 pick from Dallas and most favorable picks in 2031 and 2032 from Atlanta.

Nembhard dished out 23 assists in the final regular season game of his rookie season, and he picked up right where he left off in that one. He was a high-level passer last summer, and he should be a reliable ball handling option in his second season as well. He may not play many more games in Las Vegas.

For Houston, this move was all about creating financial flexibility. Charlotte adds a veteran forward that can still play a solid role off the bench if needed, but they also added three more second-round picks, pushing their total to 20 over the next seven years. That gives them plenty of ammo to make moves in the future, while DFS will make an impact in the locker room immediately.