NBA Player News

Washington is one of the most experienced players on the Knicks roster, so his offensive takeover on Saturday was unsurprising. He finished last season on a two-way contract but is currently an unrestricted free agent, so Washington’s performance against the Hornets came at a perfect time. Also fighting for a contract is Jacob Toppin, who finished the loss with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, one block, and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes. Unlike Washington, Toppin is a restricted free agent.

Marshall is entering his third season in Dallas and is now set to be tied to the team until 2030. The two best scoring seasons of his career have come during his time with the Mavericks, and his veteran presence will be important as they continue to add young talent. Marshall has stepped up when Dallas has dealt with injuries in the frontcourt, and he’ll likely continue to be a valuable reserve option for them next season.

Moody is one of two Warriors rotation players working their way back from season-ending knee injuries, with Jimmy Butler being the other. While Butler is recovering from a torn ACL, Moody suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in late March. He has made progress in his recovery but still has not been cleared to resume running or on-court activities. The hope is that Moody will receive that clearance sometime in September, but there is still no concrete timeline for a return to game action. While fantasy managers can justify stashing Butler in an IL+ slot, that should not be their approach with Moody.

In an unsurprising move, LaVine exercised his player option for the 2026-27 season, as he is set to make just over $49 million. Given the youth of Sacramento’s roster, the veteran guard’s role for next season is unknown. What is reportedly known is that the front office is not willing to put its long-term financial future at risk by waiving LaVine and stretching his contract. The contract makes LaVine a challenging player to move, which would not have been the case had he not picked up the player option. When at his best, LaVine can offer middle-round value in standard fantasy leagues. However, due to the Kings’ current position as a rebuilding team and LaVine coming off a season in which he played 39 games, his draft value may be knocked down a few rounds.

Sochan’s deal with Portland will mark the forward’s third stop in his NBA career. He split last season between the Spurs and Knicks, ultimately finishing as an NBA champion in New York. Sochan saw career lows in playing time, points, rebounds, and assists in 2025-26, but a change of scenery could benefit him. Still, the Trail Blazers are loaded with talent, so there’s no guarantee Sochan will carve out a big enough role to make a fantasy impact.

Payton II’s reported return to Golden State will mark his seventh season with the team. The veteran guard played a large role in the Warriors’ championship run during the 2021-22 season and remains a key contributor off the bench. He averaged a career-high 7.5 points last season across 73 regular-season games, but is not expected to have much fantasy impact in 2026-27.

Kuminga hit unrestricted free agency after the Hawks declined to pick up his $24.3 million option for the 2026-27 season. The former Warriors lottery pick remains without a team, but there has been interest. While a return to Atlanta is possible, the Lakers and Cavaliers also expressed interest in signing Kuminga, but both teams would likely require a sign-and-trade to get a deal done. Now, Minnesota has reportedly joined the mix after missing out on LeBron James, who chose to sign with the 76ers. With the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Timberwolves can use another forward, even if Kuminga does not have the size of a traditional power forward. And going to Minnesota could give Kuminga a chance to start, which may not be the case with the other reported options.

Watson remains a restricted free agent, and there has not been much movement between him and the Nuggets regarding a new deal. While Denver wants to hold onto him, the possibility of a sign-and-trade remains. According to Scotto, the Nuggets would want a future first-round pick in return if they were to move Watson. One of the teams reported to be interested, Milwaukee, is said to be willing to consider absorbing Zeke Nnaji’s contract, which the Nuggets have been looking to get off their books for quite some time. Watson also has the option of accepting his qualifying offer of $6.5 million, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Watkins reportedly suffered the injury during the Wizards’ summer league opener against the Jazz, which explains why he didn’t appear again after playing 20 minutes as a starter in that game. Watkins was selected with the 43rd pick in 2025 and was solid as a rookie, especially down the stretch of the season. Now, there is a chance he misses the entirety of his sophomore campaign. It’s unclear if he would’ve had much of a role this upcoming season, but this solidifies that Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley will see most of the wing minutes off the bench.

Acquired from the Bulls in a three-team deal that also involved Minnesota, Gueye was expected to be waived at some point. In fact, Thursday’s transaction comes after Valencia Basket in Spain announced that the 6-foot-10 forward will be on its roster for the 2026-27 season. Gueye’s departure does not affect fantasy basketball, as he was not going to be in the Hornets’ rotation had he not agreed to a deal with Valencia.

Following four seasons at Tennessee, Richardson spent a decade in the NBA, with most of that time being spent in Miami. He was drafted by the Heat with the 40th pick in 2015 and spent his first four seasons with them. He bounced around the league after that, spending time with the 76ers, Mavericks, Celtics, Spurs and Pelicans before returning to Miami for two more seasons. He spent last year in Spain before officially announcing his retirement on Instagram.