NBA Player News

The deal is non-guaranteed. Kurz, who was last seen in the Spanish league in 2010, will get a camp invite from the Celtics, but is a long shot to make the team. He had a couple of surprisingly fantastic nights for the Warriors back in 2009, but his NBA run was a short one. He’s just a training camp body.

Williams is good to go after logging 24 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Timberwolves. His availability likely means that Ryan Nembhard will miss out on the opportunity to play extended minutes off the bench.

Braun has only appeared in three games since suffering a sprained ankle on November 12, with his most recent action coming on January 9. As for Johnson, he has been out since December 23. With Nikola Jokić (knee) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring) also out, the Nuggets are currently down four starters. While Braun and Johnson weren’t having great seasons at the time of their respective injuries, their absences opened the door for others to step up, most notably Peyton Watson, who has a case to remain a starter even after the Nuggets return to full strength.

Jokić has been sidelined since December, but they’re hoping to have him back before they take on the Grizzlies on Feb. 11. Including Thursday’s game against the Nets, Denver has eight more games before the break. Jonas Valančiūnas should remain the starting center for now, with Zeke Nnaji starting when he is sidelined.

Williams did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors, which resulted in Svi Mykhailiuk moving into the starting lineup. Svi may remain in the starting five if Williams can’t play, but he isn’t worth the risk in fantasy leagues, especially after logging 16 minutes on Wednesday.

Nurkić missed Tuesday’s game with an illness but played through on Wednesday. He’s questionable once again, and so is Kevin Love, who started in place of Nurkić on Tuesday. Depending on the status of both players, Kyle Filipowski could be in line for a significant boost in minutes.

Held out of Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors for rest reasons, Love is on the injury report ahead of Friday’s game due to an illness. With Jusuf Nurkić also questionable, only one of the two veteran centers may be available. If so, that should leave more room for Kyle Filipowski in the frontcourt.

Friday’s game isn’t part of a back-to-back, but that hasn’t stopped the Jazz from resting Markkanen or other key players this season. From a scoring standpoint, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh will shoulder a heavier workload than usual. While the former is already rostered in most leagues, the latter should be a player that managers target for the silly season.

Leonard continues to be listed as questionable ahead of games, but he has played in the Clippers’ last three. Kobe Sanders started in his place previously and could return to the starting unit if something changes with Leonard’s availability.

Thompson is back after sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Timberwolves. His absence factored into fellow reserve Jaden Hardy playing 24 minutes off the bench. With Brandon Williams (ankle) considered a game-time decision, it’s possible that Hardy’s playing time won’t decrease much, if at all.

The Kings won’t have Russell Westbrook for Thursday’s game, so Schröder will start. Also of note is Clifford remaining in the starting lineup despite LaVine being available after a two-game absence. As a result, Clifford still has some fantasy value in the short term, and his ceiling should be raised after the All-Star break.