NBA Player News

Juzang, who agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Timberwolves on August 1, played well during the preseason. He’ll stick around on a two-way contract, which allows Minnesota to make Juzang active for up to 50 regular-season games. However, the team must waive Tristen Newton, Enrique Freeman or Rocco Zikarsky to free up a two-way slot for Juzang. Zikarsky’s two-way deal runs for two years, so he’s the player most likely to remain with the Timberwolves.

Lyles signed with Real Madrid last September after a decade in the NBA, with the last four seasons in Sacramento. The veteran big will provide some depth at the power forward and center positions, and he’s a capable floor spacer, which may help make up for Naz Reid’s departure. However, it is unlikely he is anywhere near as productive as Reid was.

Love was an older rookie for the Trail Blazers last season after going undrafted. However, he was productive for a few months early last season, though his availability was limited over the final two months of the year. Still, he’s a talented scorer, making this a nice swing for the 76ers, even if he’ll have plenty of competition for minutes and shots.

The Lakers will received Hardy and two future second-rounders in exchange for Deandre Ayton. The former second-round pick was sent to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis trade last season after spending the first few years of his career in Dallas. He can provide instant offense at times, but he likely won’t be a big part of the Lakers’ rotation next season.

The second-round picks are in 2031 and 2032. The Lakers recently acquired Walker Kessler to be the team’s starting center, and they’ll offload Ayton just a few days after he picked up his player option for next season. He’ll now likely be the backup center behind Alex Sarr, which eliminates most of the fantasy value that he had this past season. However, he should be one of the better backup bigs in the league and has streaming upside if the Wizards face an injury in the frontcourt to either Sarr or Anthony Davis.

For Houston, this move was all about creating financial flexibility. Charlotte adds a veteran forward that can still play a solid role off the bench if needed, but they also added three more second-round picks, pushing their total to 20 over the next seven years. That gives them plenty of ammo to make moves in the future, while DFS will make an impact in the locker room immediately.

Rupert finished last season in Memphis after spending a couple seasons in Portland. The 2023 second-round pick is a solid upside swing for Philadelphia, though he likely won’t be part of their regular rotation this upcoming season.

Green was a solid role player for Detroit last season, averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 stelas in 17.6 minutes per game while appearing in all 82 games, which included six starts. He’ll remain in a depth role once again next season.

Queta enjoyed a breakout season for Boston last year, averaging 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. That was enough for him to earn a contract that will keep him around until for the remainder of the decade. The Celtics added Mitchell Robinson this summer, so Queta will likely split the minutes down low with him, though Queta should be the incumbent starter. He was a top-75 player in nine-category scoring last season in just 25.3 minutes per game, which is certainly a realistic role for him to play while splitting minutes with Robinson.

Eason was a restricted free agent this offseason, but managed to stay with the Rockets without signing an offer sheet elsewhere. The 25-year-old power forward has been a regular bench option for Houston, appearing in 117 games over the past two seasons while averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. Sometimes the best ability is availability and Eason would have more fantasy value if he could play a full season next year.

Donovan has 11 years of NBA head coaching experience between his stops with the Thunder and the Bulls. He won two college basketball championships with the University of Florida. Donovan left the Bulls in April and is putting a pause on his head coaching career. A decorate coach at 61-years-old, Donovan can certainly impart some wisdom on 44-year-old Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.