NBA Player News

Yabusele has been out of the NBA for five years, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he was extended an invitation to make his return to the league after his performance during the Olympics. He had an excellent scoring night despite the loss, and it was highlighted by a poster dunk over LeBron James. He isn’t a player to consider drafting in fantasy, but he is worth keeping tabs on after a monster performance.

The 2023 first-round pick will be an add-on as part of the trade that was centered around Ivica Zubac being sent to Indiana. Brown was only playing 8.7 minutes per game for the Clippers this year, but with the Pacers now needing to finish with a top-four pick to avoid sending it to the Clippers, Brown should get an opportunity to play big minutes as the team tanks.

Jackson was a popular sleeper heading into this season after Myles Turner left town, but he battled an injury at the start of the season and was passed on the depth chartby Jay Huff. Jackson is averaging just 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in under 17 minutes per game and has averaged just 12 minutes in his last nine games. He fits well alongside John Collins, so the Clippers could give the 24-year-old a chance to carve out a role as their starting center as they look to build towards the future.

Mathurin will be the headliner back for the Clippers and will provide them with a young scorer with upside. When healthy this season, Mathurin was a high-level scorer in an increased role, and he should be able to keep that going with the Clippers. The former lottery pick was never able to develop into the player the Pacers hoped he would become, but he’ll get the chance to reach his potential on a Clippers team that is starting to pivot towards the future.

Kornet has been filling the backup center minutes recently, but that role will fall to Kelly Olynyk for this game if he is available. He is questionable with left foot soreness, which means Bismack Biyombo would be next in line to fill the role.

Even though the Pacers are not in contention this season, Zubac is signed through the 2027-28 season with his three-year, $58.6 million deal. The 28-year-old is averaging 14.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 43 games this season. He will slide into the starting center role for a team in desperate need of a big man, and then will form a strong core with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam next season. This trade is also good news for the Thunder, who own the rights to the Clippers’ first-round pick. With the Clippers trading away Zubac and James Harden, that pick figures to be pretty high in the upcoming draft. The Pacers are also sending their 2016 first-round pick to the Clippers, but that pick is top 1-4 and 10-30 protected. Given that the Pacers currently have the third-worst record in the NBA, it would be a huge risk for them to play their best lineup going forward and risk picking in that 5-9 range. As a result, we may see a lot of rest days for their better players, including Zubac, in the days ahead.

Melton is a late addition to the injury report, so there is definitely a chance he misses this game. Pat Spencer and Gary Payton II should be in line for extra minutes if he’s out, and with Buddy Hield now in Atlanta, Spencer would hold some upside as a streamer.

Jones has been excellent as a fill-in for Denver this year while they’ve battled so many injuries. The second-year forward will be rewarded with a standard deal, and with Peyton Watson injuring his hamstring on Wednesday, Jones’s availability could become even more important to the Nuggets moving forward, even if he isn’t a strong option for fantasy managers.

This move was likely for Philadelphia to convert Dominick Barlow to a standard deal, though Memphis will add some draft capital in the process. Gordon is certainly a buyout candidate, and if he sticks around in Memphis, he won’t be part of the rotation.

Minott had an excellent stretch early in the season for Boston, but he has been out of the rotation for a while now. He’ll get a fresh start in Brooklyn, and the 23-year-old has already proven that he can be a fantasy commodity. He could be a sneaky grab for a rebuilding team, which could lead to strong production during silly season.

The 2023 second-round pick was never able to carve out a role in Denver, so the Nuggets will move on to create an open roster spot. Tyson may get an opportunity to make an impact for Brooklyn during silly season, though his upside for fantasy managers will be limited.