Jordan Poole (ankle) ruled out vs. Sacramento

Poole will miss a third consecutive game with left ankle tendinopathy. Bryce McGowens has played rotation minutes off the bench recently and should continue to do so, but he’s unlikely to offer reliable fantasy value.

Poole will miss a second consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. Bryce McGowens got a few minutes in Poole’s absence but didn’t play enough to impact fantasy basketball.

Poole injured his ankle against the Nuggets on Wednesday, and given the quick turnaround, he’ll sit out the second leg of the back-to-back set. In his absence, Herb Jones and Benn Mathurin could take on expanded roles.

Poole hurt himself on a transition layup attempt. If Poole were to miss some time, look for more minutes for Bennedict Mathurin and Herb Jones. Bryce McGowens could also get into the rotation as a backup guard.

Poole was initially probable for this game but has now been cleared to suit up against Denver. He’ll continue to be a source of offense for them off the bench, but his role has been too small for him to be worth rostering outside of deep leagues.

Poole appeared in only 39 games last season, and his chances of earning consistent rotation minutes in 2026-27 don’t look good. That said, he shot the ball well in Miami, knocking down three of his four three-point attempts. You gain little by using a draft pick on Poole in most fantasy leagues, but he has a clean slate under new head coach Jamahl Mosley.

Selected 23rd overall in the 2024 draft, Johnson has bounced around in his two NBA seasons. After splitting his rookie campaign between Milwaukee and Washington, he appeared in 48 games for the Wizards and Mavericks in 2025-26, averaging 3.3 points in 9.5 minutes. This is the second time this offseason that Johnson has been traded, with the Mavericks sending him to Memphis as part of a deal headlined by Santi Aldama. New Orleans likely executed Tuesday’s reported transaction to free up the space needed to make Bennedict Mathurin’s signing official. As a result, fantasy managers should not expect Johnson to become a factor next season.

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.

Strus will get a fresh start after three seasons in Cleveland. His defense and floor spacing should help make an immediate impact for the Clippers as they look to establish a new identity in the post-Kawhi Leonard era. Strus could start alongside Darius Garland, but his presence in a crowded backcourt will make the rotation difficult to project. Kris Dunn, Bennedict Mathurin (RFA) and Gradey Dick all stand to lose out on minutes with Strus on the squad.