NBA Player News

The Lakers moved up 10 spots from pick No. 55 to pick No. 45 in a trade with the Bulls Thursday afternoon. While Kalkbrenner would still have to fall to pick No. 45 unless the Lakers trade up again, a center makes sense as a potential target for the Lakers. The team traded away Anthony Davis in the Luke Doncic trade and then had a trade in place for Mark Williams before he failed his physical. The Lakers could certainly use more of a presence on the interior and Kalkbrenner would fit there.

Wade was limited to individual work in Monday’s practice, but he could play in Tuesday’s season opener. If he plays, Jabari Walker may get fewer minutes. However, with Adem Bona (foot) also questionable, Walker may play rotation minutes at center instead of power forward.

Bona missed the entire preseason with a sprained left foot, but he could be available for Tuesday’s season opener. While his availability doesn’t affect fantasy basketball, it will factor into how the 76ers handle the back end of their rotation. Jabari Walker may be asked to play some minutes at center, especially with Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukportin unavailable.

Simons missed the entire preseason with a left hamstring injury, but he recently resumed practicing. If he can play, Simons will provide perimeter depth off the bench. If he can’t, then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may absorb the minutes that would have gone to Simons.

To clear a roster spot and finalize their roster for the upcoming season, the Bucks waived Porter, addressing the perimeter logjam. Injuries limited him to 38 games last season, but KPJ was productive when he played. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 three-pointers per game in 2025-26. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were claimed off waivers, with the Kings being a team to watch after Ben Simmons suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday.

The 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Knecht was the subject of trade rumors ahead of the Lakers’ decision to waive him. The former Tennessee standout had his moments, most notably scoring a career-high 37 points against the Jazz during his rookie season. However, Knecht was inconsistent offensively and didn’t bring much defensively, ultimately leading the Lakers to move on and finalize their roster for the 2026-27 season. Managers in dynasty leagues rostering Knecht should not rush to drop him, as he could catch on with another team on a two-way contract.

Murray suffered a bruised toe during the preseason, which sidelined him for a few practices. However, the swelling has since gone down, allowing the veteran point guard to practice without issue. He’ll return to his usual starting point guard role, with Jeremiah Fears as the backup.

Curry appeared to suffer a lower-body injury during Sunday’s open practice, with some speculating that the veteran guard injured his knee. However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said afterward that Curry’s ankle was the issue, but there was little concern. Curry practiced on Monday and is expected to play in Wednesday’s season opener, which is great news for managers rostering him.

This has been a bad 24 hours for the Warriors, who saw Stephen Curry suffer an ankle injury during Sunday’s open practice. Podziemski is dealing with a sore lower back, casting some doubt on his availability for Wednesday’s season opener against the Lakers. If he can’t play, De’Anthony Melton takes on added importance within the Warriors’ rotation.

Carter, who has mononucleosis, is the only Celtics player on the injury report for Tuesday’s season opener. His absence won’t affect fantasy basketball.

Hours after reports emerged that the Suns would waive Brea, the team made it official. With CJ Huntley also being waived, the Suns have two open two-way contract slots. With Mark Williams injured, one of those contracts will go to Duop Reath, who was in training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal.