NBA Player News

Washington has spent time with both the Rockets and Bucks through his first two years in the league, and now he’ll get another fresh start. Phoenix doesn’t have a ton of depth at point guard, but Washington will still likely spend most of next season in the G-League with the brand new Valley Suns.

Wembanyama made his long-awaited return to the court on Saturday, but fans and fantasy managers had to wait a little longer than they expected. The Spurs did not play him at all in the first quarter, and Wemby logged just seven minutes in the second quarter. The goal was to ensure that Wembanyama’s minutes restriction would not be an issue in the fourth quarter, and the approach worked. He only needed 21 minutes to record an excellent stat line, showing why he’s considered one of the NBA’s premier talents. Tuesday’s NBA Cup final against the Knicks won’t count towards stats or fantasy basketball, but the Spurs will have three other games in Week 9.

Yang was held out of Thursday’s loss to the Pelicans with a facial contusion, joining Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III on the sidelines. Whether the rookie is in Portland’s rotation on Sunday depends on the availability of Clingan and Williams, who are also questionable. If those two can play, Hansen will likely be out of the rotation entirely.

Portland was without its top three centers on Thursday, including Williams. He was initially questionable for that game before being ruled out, and that could happen again on Sunday. Williams’ fantasy value, if available, depends on the status of starting center Donovan Clingan, who has missed the last three games. If Clingan plays, Williams will be locked into the backup center role, which limits his fantasy ceiling.