Coby White (calf) ruled out for preseason

Given how well Knueppel played as a rookie and the Hornets’ decision to move on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, Friday’s news gives his 2026-27 season a brutal start. At a minimum, the runner-up for Rookie of the Year will be sidelined for four weeks, and that’s just for him to be re-evaluated. According to the Hornets, Knueppel suffered the left hamstring injury during an offseason on-court activity. His absence boosts the early-season values of Brandon Miller and Coby White while also making Grayson Allen a more viable late-round option in drafts.

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.

The Cavaliers also sent cash considerations to the Hornets as part of the deal. According to various reports, the Cavaliers had been trying to offload Schröder’s contract since the NBA Draft. In this trade, they’ll save around $6 million in cap space. The Hornets will upgrade their backcourt depth here in the wake of trading LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves. Charlotte will be Schröder’s 12th team, bringing him one away from tying Ish Smith’s record for most teams played for. The 32-year-old point guard averaged 10.8 points and 4.9 assists in 70 games last season.

Watson remains a restricted free agent, and the Cavaliers are reportedly exploring ways to create enough salary-cap space to offer him a four-year deal. According to Stein, Cleveland has considered trade scenarios involving guards Dennis Schroder and Max Strus to shed salary. Watson is seeking a deal worth more than $25 million annually, but could also accept his $6.5 million qualifying offer from the Nuggets and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Whether he remains in Denver or heads elsewhere, Watson has the skill set needed to offer reliable fantasy value. That said, an opportunity to start would raise his ceiling, and that may not be possible in Denver next season.

Injuries limited White to 50 games last season. After a midseason trade to the Hornets, his minutes went from 29.1 per game in Chicago to 19.3 per game in Charlotte. White still averaged 15.6 points with the Hornets playing behind LaMelo Ball. With Ball now in Minnesota, White projects as a starter for the Hornets this upcoming season. He’s one of the big winners of the early offseason in terms of fantasy value.

The Pistons have been linked to nearly every available shooter this offseason. Prior to the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, it was believed that Powell would re-sign with the Heat. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday morning that Powell isn’t going to re-sign with Miami barring a “crazy discount.” With Powell seemingly available now, it’s no surprise that Detroit will at least kick the tires on the 33-year-old All-Star. The Pistons will continue to look to add shooting and playmaking around its core this offseason and Powell could factor into those plans. Stein and Fischer report Detroit is also interested in Tyler Herro, Coby White and Isaiah Joe.

Windhorst theorized that the Cavs could be “investigating” moving on from Dennis Schroder, though it doesn’t appear that a deal is imminent. Schroder was dealt from Sacramento to Cleveland at the deadline and was a solid veteran for them down the stretch, though he didn’t do much in the conference finals. It appears Schroder’s time with the Cavs will be coming to a close this summer, though that isn’t guaranteed. If he ends up on a team that has a larger need for a point guard than Cleveland has, he could have some fantasy relevance next season.

Schröder popped up on the injury report as questionable with an illness just hours before game-time and was subsequently ruled out. It’s a difficult development for the Cavaliers to weather while already trailing 3-0 in the series. It’s unclear who will step into Schröder’s vacated bench minutes, though Keon Ellis is a likely candidate.

Schröder popped up on the injury report as questionable just hours before tip-off on Monday. The 32-year-old point guard had just three points in nine minutes off the bench in Game 3 on Saturday. Keon Ellis could enter the Cavaliers’ rotation if Schröder is ruled out.

Merrill logged just seven minutes in the Game 1 loss and didn’t register a single point. Still, the Cavaliers’ depth takes a bit of a hit in regard to three-point shooting and overall scoring. In his absence, Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, and Jaylon Tyson should see more minutes.