NBA Player News

Making his unofficial professional debut, Holland was the most consistent performer on the court Thursday night. Projected to be a top-3 selection in next summer’s draft, the 6-foot-8 forward was in attack mode throughout the win over Perth, impacting the action on both ends of the floor. The two teams are scheduled to play again on Friday, so Perth should have a better idea of what they’re dealing with regarding the task of defending Holland. That said, he’ll also have some “reference points” to work with. And Holland’s first professional game went about as well as anyone could hope for.

“I don’t want there to be no drama,” Curry told ESPN Wednesday. “No talking points. This team should be competitive and go win.” The 38-year-old point guard became eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million extension in August. Curry is currently in the final year of his contract, but described finishing his career with the Warriors as an “obvious goal.” Golden State will begin practicing next week in Hawaii as Curry prepares for his 18th season in NBA.

Ball missed all of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with knee injuries and wasn’t the same player in his last two seasons. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Lakers, Ball spent two years each with Los Angeles, New Orleans and Chicago before spending his last season in Cleveland. Ball was selected to the All-Rookie team in 2017-18 and averaged 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists across 322 career games in the NBA.

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.

The deal had been rumored in recent days, and now it’s happening. Charlotte acquired DFS and three second-round picks in a cost-cutting move for the Rockets in July and have now swung him to Atlanta. The three-and-D forward should fill out some depth minutes for the Hawks behind Jalen Johnson, but it is unlikely he plays significant minutes, barring an injury.

With Leonard’s trade to Toronto finally completed last week, they didn’t waste any time to ensure his second stint with the team would be longer than the first. This will keep Kawhi with the Raptors for the next three seasons. They’ll be all in on trying to win another championship with Leonard leading the way for the next few seasons.

During his press conference, Durant was asked about GM Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka wanting to manage his minutes. KD acknowledged the logic behind it, but said he’s ready to play as much as he needs to to help the Rockets win. He played 36.3 minutes per game last season, and he hasn’t played fewer than 35 minutes per game in a season since his first with the Nets, which was right after he missed a full season with a torn Achilles. Since an injury-plagued stint in Brooklyn, Durant has been mostly healthy over the last three seasons and still plays a significant workload. It doesn’t seem like that will change this season.

Veesaar, the 52nd overall pick in June’s draft, suffered the injury during a workout on September 15. As a result, the 6-foot-11 center will miss the entire 2026-27 season. Veesaar’s injury leaves the Hawks down a player in the minutes battle behind starting center Onyeka Okongwu. Jock Landale projects to be the primary backup, with rookie Zubi Ejiofor also in the mix for minutes.