NBA Player News

The Raptors have four new starters for Wednesday’s game, with Agbaji being the lone holdover. Quickley offers the highest value but is already rostered in most fantasy leagues. Gradey and Agbaji are worth a look in deep, active leagues, while managers can afford to leave Temple and Williams alone.

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.

The 50th overall pick in June’s draft, Bradley was initially signed to a two-way contract. However, because the Raptors were limited in their ability to spend to fill out their available standard contracts, the former Arizona guard’s deal has been converted to a four-year deal worth just under $9.3 million. While Monday’s transaction gives Bradley a little more short-term security and frees up a two-way slot for the Raptors, it’s unlikely to significantly affect fantasy basketball.

The 25th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Batum played 18 seasons in the league for four franchises, most recently the Clippers. While he may not have received an All-Defensive Team honor during his time in the NBA, the 6-foot-8 wing was long respected for his ability to take on a variety of matchups on that end of the floor. Offensively, Batum’s most productive season was the 2016-17 campaign as a member of the Hornets, when he averaged 15.1 points per game. For his career, Batum averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.5 three-pointers per game. In addition to his lengthy NBA career, Batum has been a key contributor to France’s rise as a consistent contender for medals in FIBA and Olympic competitions.

The 54th overall pick in June’s draft, Jones played for the Warriors’ Summer League team but faced long odds of earning a roster spot in training camp. Instead of going to training camp, he’ll play in Italy this season, with the Warriors retaining his draft rights. With the Warriors signing former Gonzaga center Graham Ike to a two-way contract, all three of those slots are filled going into camp, with Malevy Leons and L.J. Cryer occupying the other two.

The contract extension comes after Detroit finished as the Eastern Conference’s top seed for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Thompson started 72 of 73 regular-season games en route to earning a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, and will enter his fourth NBA season with a chance to build on his overall game. A jump in offensive production would boost his fantasy value.