NBA Player News

Redick won’t play on Saturday and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, “I think it would be unlikely that he’ll play in the series.” This is a chronic heel injury which Redick aggravated in mid-May, and it’s likely to become a question of pain tolerance. The Mavs will miss Redick’s shooting but there are no major fantasy implications.

For the first time this preseason, the Lakers had their new “big three,” Reaves, Luka Dončić, and Walker Kessler, on the floor together. Shot attempts were close, but the Lakers still need to build chemistry between their star guards and Kessler, the new starting center. Reaves shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, but fantasy managers drafting in the next few days shouldn’t worry.

With Aaron Gordon sitting out Friday’s preseason finale, the Nuggets inserted Brazile into the starting lineup. The rookie, who dropped 22 points on Wednesday against the Clippers, had another solid outing to end his first preseason. Brazile may not play heavy minutes, but he’s clearly done enough to crack the Nuggets’ rotation right away.

After sitting out Wednesday’s exhibition against the Clippers, DeRozan played 27 minutes off the bench on Friday. He’ll be asked to do what he’s done throughout his career: score, albeit in a reserve role. With Julian Strawther (knee) out for at least six weeks, DeRozan’s scoring ability becomes even more important. While this may lower DeRozan’s fantasy ceiling, he remains a solid option for fantasy managers punting three-pointers.

Braun finished his preseason with a solid performance on Friday, shooting 50 percent from the field and recording a solid stat line. Like Cameron Johnson, he’s looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025-26 season. With the talent Braun is surrounded by in Denver, he’ll have every opportunity to do so as a finisher playing off of Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.

Horford, who is expected to play around 20 minutes per game during the regular season, logged 15 minutes on Friday. That was all he needed to put up quality offensive numbers, shooting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Even with Kristaps Porziņģis out indefinitely due to illness, Horford’s limited minutes aren’t enough to make him a viable option in standard fantasy leagues.

The Warriors started Charles Bassey (six points, four rebounds) at center for their preseason finale on Friday, but he logged just eight minutes. With Kristaps Porziņģis out indefinitely and Al Horford limited to 20 minutes per game, Green will at times be asked to slide into the center position. He’s coming off an underwhelming 2025-26 season, but the Warriors’ need for frontcourt help may improve Draymond’s fantasy outlook.

As in Summer League, Lendeborg showed throughout the preseason that he’s ready to contribute immediately. Given the Warriors’ injury report, they’ll need the rookie forward to do that if they’re to be a factor in the West. He recorded a complete stat line in Friday’s preseason finale and appears to have already established good chemistry with the Warriors’ veterans, especially Al Horford. Using a top-100 pick on Lendeborg wouldn’t be a reach, given his likely role as a starter.

As of Friday, Avdija had a Yahoo ADP of 40, suggesting fantasy managers aren’t too concerned about the potential impact of sharing the court with Damian Lillard and Ja Morant on the All-Star forward. Against the Warriors, Avdija led the Blazers starters with 15 attempts, and usage shouldn’t be an issue for him once the regular season begins. He didn’t shoot well Friday, but fantasy managers shouldn’t worry about that. He boasts top-50 fantasy potential, especially in turnover-punt builds.

Morant had a good night shooting the basketball, making 80 percent of his attempts and all three of his three-pointers. He finished with more turnovers (four) than assists (three), but fantasy managers likely know Morant will have some high-turnover nights. More importantly, he stays healthy, as the athletic point guard has had at least one extended absence throughout his career. Availability and efficiency concerns have hurt Morant’s ADP, as he’ll be more valuable to managers willing to punt turnovers.

Based on Friday’s starting lineup, fantasy managers can assume (if they haven’t already) that the Trail Blazers will start Lillard and Ja Morant together to begin the regular season. Both took 10 field-goal attempts against the Warriors, and Lillard also got 13 free-throw attempts. However, in the 22:29 they shared the court, Portland posted a net rating of minus-20.6. Lillard’s offensive production won’t be an issue, but defensive concerns may force head coach Micah Nori to stagger Lillard and Morant’s minutes more than he did on Friday.