NBA Player News

Marang’s report regarding Lillard’s future in Portland was the second of the day, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst saying on a podcast that the team was working to get something done before camp begins. While Miami is at the top of the guard’s wish list, neither report mentioned specific teams as being involved in the discussions. Lillard being traded would most impact Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, as they’re viewed by many as Portland’s backcourt of the future. While Anfernee Simons could be in for a short-term bump to his fantasy value, his name has also come up in trade rumors this offseason.

Ball was injured during the Hornets’ November 26 game against the Magic, with a recent MRI confirming the sprain. It was reported on November 28 that Ball suffered a “serious sprain” of the ankle and will be sidelined for an extended period. Just how long he’ll have to sit won’t truly be known until he’s re-evaluated on December 7.

Little was not available for Wednesday’s game in Toronto due to the birth of his child. He’ll be back on Friday and in the rotation. However, it’s unlikely that Little gets the minutes needed to be of value in most fantasy leagues.

Caruso and Dosunmu will start in place of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, which takes away a lot of Chicago’s offense. White and Vucevic should be in for big scoring nights as they taken on a larger offensive workload.

After starring late in the game on Tuesday to help Minnesota pull off a win after Anthony Edwards went down, Brown Jr. has been rewarded with a starting nod. Chris Finch said that Edwards could be back as early as Saturday, so this could just be a one-game start for Brown Jr. There is optimism that he could have a solid performance after he scored 17 points in 21 minutes on Tuesday, but that isn’t guaranteed.

Allen should be back in action after missing the last two games due to illness. With Devin Booker (ankle) listed as questionable for Friday’s game, Allen’s transition back into the starting lineup would be simple if the Suns star cannot play. But if Booker does give it a go, Josh Okogie would be relegated to the bench.

Despite reports that Booker is not expected to play on Friday, the team has decided to list him as questionable. However, managers should be prepared to not have him in the lineup. Grayson Allen (illness) is no longer on the injury report and should start in place of Book.

DeRozan joins Zach LaVine (right foot soreness) on the sideline for Thursday’s game. Those absences will boost the usage of multiple players, most notably Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Patrick Williams. With there being another opening in the starting lineup, either Ayo Dosunmu or Torrey Craig will be the next man up.

This was the expected outcome, as James was initially questionable for Thursday’s game and Davis probable. They’ll be joined in the starting lineup by D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie (starting for Cam Reddish), and Taurean Prince.

Reddish will sit out the second game of the Lakers’ road back-to-back, which means a return to the starting lineup for Max Christie. The second-year wing offers limited streaming value as a spot starter, so fantasy managers shouldn’t feel obligated to pick him up.