NBA Player News

Orlando traded picks 46 and 57, as well as a 2026 second-rounder and a 2027 second-rounder to the Celtics for the rights to Penda. The 6’8, 225 pound French forward played professionally for Le Mans Sarthe Basket last season where he showcased the attributes that make him attractive to NBA teams. His size gives him the ability to guard forwards, while his speed and athleticism give him the tools to handle guards. His defense is a major plus, but Penda is a quality scorer, too. He’ll bring physicality, toughness and strong two-way play to the team that drafts him. His fit in Orlando next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner will be an interesting one, but he should be at least a strong reserve defender, with potential to become more than that.

Salaün has been battling an ankle injury, but he missed just one game over the weekend. He seems likely to play in both legs of a back-to-back, but with Brandon Miller (knee) also back, there likely won’t be a lot of usage for Salaün.

Ball has not missed a game since December 14th, and it seems likely he will play in both games of a back-to-back. He’s averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals over his last two weeks, which has made him a top-50 player in fantasy basketball.

Miller missed Thursday’s game against the Raptors, but seems likely to return for the second game in a back-to-back on Thursday. His return would push Sion James back to the bench.

Huerter popped up on the injury report with Coby White (calf) coming off the injury report. With the Bulls in the second half of a back-to-back, there’s a chance that Hurter rests. He had eight points, four assists, and three rebounds in 30 minutes on Wednesday.

This will now be three straight games that Smith has missed with a concussion. Patrick Williams played 15 minutes on Wednesday with Smith sidelined, and Julian Phillips played 14 minutes. Neither one is really fantasy viable.

White missed three games with a calf injury and then returned on Monday before sitting out Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. It seems like he’ll return for the second night of a back-to-back, which would move Tre Jones back to a smaller role.

Late additions to injury reports are usually not a good sign. Garland has looked good lately and scored 29 points on Tuesday against the Pacers. Lonzo Ball would figure to see the biggest boost in minutes if Garland has to miss time.

Nembhard was added to the injury report this morning, which is usually not a great sign. The guard has only missed one game so far this season, but his minutes have fluctuated as he’s battled some minor injuries. If Nembhard did miss, that would likely mean extra minutes for T.J. McConnell.

Edwards was able to play on Tuesday against the Heat and scored 26 points in 29 minutes. He has not missed a game since December 17th, so we’d lean towards expecting him to play, but it’s a situation to monitor.

Robbins claims that “the plan is for [Young] to rehab his ankle in-house” and take his time returning to the court. The Wizards then anticipate Young picking up his $49 million player option for 2026, at which time they will see how well he fits alongside young players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George. Slow-playing Young this season makes sense, considering the Wizards’ first-round pick is top-eight-protected. That means that, if the Wizards lose enough games to pick inside the top eight in the 2026 NBA Draft, they will keep their pick, but if they pick outside of the top eight, the New York Knicks will control the rights to the Wizards’ pick.