NBA Player News

Acquired from the Celtics at the February trade deadline (Boston received a trade exception), Banton’s play was one of the few positives for the Trail Blazers last season. In his 30 games with Portland, the 2021 second-round pick averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.9 3-pointers in 29.2 minutes. It should be noted that, by that point in the season, Portland had been decimated by injuries, freeing up additional minutes for Banton. Regardless of how the opportunities came about, he did enough with them to get his contract guaranteed for next season.

Peavy was held out of New Orleans’ final game before the All-Star break, and Friday’s contest will be the second that he’s missed. The rookie wing’s continued absence does not affect redraft leagues, as his playing time decreased before the injury.

Missi was held out of the Pelicans’ final game before the All-Star break, and he isn’t healthy enough to play on Friday. The second-year center’s continued absence frees up minutes for Karlo Matković and Kevon Looney, but neither is a must-stream option in fantasy leagues.

Murphy exited the Pelicans’ last game before the All-Star break with a right shoulder injury, the same one that he suffered a torn labrum in last season. While the Pelicans don’t have an incentive to tank, there’s no need for them to take any chances with Murphy. His absence may open the door for Jeremiah Fears to return to the starting lineup; that would raise the rookie’s fantasy ceiling if so.

After missing Milwaukee’s final two games before the All-Star break with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Rollins is off the injury report. Rollins’ return may push Ousmane Dieng to the bench, but he’s played well enough to continue to receive solid rotation minutes, even with a potential demotion.

Turner is still dealing with the same calf injury that cost him a game before the All-Star break. The 29-year-old center is set to miss Friday’s game against the Pelicans. Ousmane Dieng should fill in for Turner and is worth streaming given his recent play.

Flagg is still dealing with a left midfoot sprain that cost his a game before the All-Star break. He’s set to miss Friday’s game against the Timberwolves with the same injury. Naji Marshall has been excellent when given additional minutes this season and is worth streaming with Flagg sidelined.

Davis, who suffered ligament damage in his left hand in early January, is progressing in his recovery. However, the Wizards’ forward/center still has not been cleared for basketball activities. For fantasy managers who can afford to take their chances on Davis being active at some point, he’s worth holding onto in an IL slot. That said, managers in leagues where the playoffs will begin before Davis’ re-evaluation will have to seek alternatives.

Young, who hasn’t made his debut yet for the Wizards since coming to Washington in a trade for CJ McCollum, is set to ramp up on-court activities. The 27-year-old point guard isn’t ready to return quite yet and will be re-evaluated in a week.

The Timberwolves have a clean injury report for their first game out of the All-Star break, including Shannon. Due to a strained left foot, he’s been out since Christmas. While Shannon’s return may result in fewer minutes for Jaylen Clark, who already wasn’t playing much, this is unlikely to affect fantasy basketball in the short term.

In the five games he played after missing time with a strained right calf for the second time this season, Reaves did not exceed 29 minutes. Coming out of the All-Star break, that restriction has been removed, so Reaves will be in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Clippers. This will likely bump Marcus Smart to the bench.