NBA Player News

With Donovan Mitchell (illness) out, Garland was able to step up and have his best outing of the season. A recurring toe issue kept Garland sidelined to start the season and has forced him to miss time since making his season debut, which has prevented him from developing a rhythm. He got on track in this game, which will hopefully lead to more productive nights from him moving forward. He’ll look to stay hot against the Hornets on Monday with Mitchell likely back.

The 30th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Looney is back in the Pacific Division after one season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Having spent his entire NBA career outside of the 2024-25 campaign with the Warriors, the veteran center was limited to just 21 appearances last season. While Looney will give the Lakers the needed depth at center behind new starter Walker Kessler, he’s unlikely to have an impact on fantasy basketball.

Biberovic was drafted by Memphis in the second round in 2023, but he never came over to the NBA, outside of summer league. Dallas acquired Biberovic in a trade, and he’ll finally make the trip across the sea to sign with the Mavericks.

While this shouldn’t impact Brunson’s availability to start next season, it does make his Finals MVP run even more impressive. Scoring 45 points in a closeout win while dealing with an injury in his shooting wrist is just another testament to Brunson’s resilience. He’ll still have plenty of time to get in shape prior to training camp.

This is a monster extension for Mitchell, and he’ll have a player option for the 2030-31 season. That would have him making north of $75 million when he’s 34 years old. It may not age well, but Cleveland is going to be competitive for at least the next few years, and the commitment to winning could help them lure LeBron James back home.

The 29th overall pick in last month’s draft, Karaban injured his ankle during one of the Kings’ final practices before the California Classic. He sat out all three games, including Monday’s win over the Bucks, and the rookie won’t be available when Sacramento begins play in Las Vegas at the end of the week. Given the timeline, there’s hope that Karaban will be able to play at some point this summer, but that is not guaranteed.

After sitting out the Bucks’ first two games at the California Classic, Burries played his first meaningful basketball since the Final Four in April on Monday. He’s a better shooter than he showed against the Kings, but that can be attributed to rust. Burries will get more opportunities to show what he can do in Las Vegas, starting with the Heat on July 10. Along with fellow first-round pick Nate Ament, who did not play in California, Burries should have every opportunity to earn rotation minutes as a rookie.

While he didn’t shoot the ball as well as he did on Saturday, Marković once again did a little bit of everything on Monday. He was active on the boards and as a playmaker while also recording four defensive contributions. Given the Bucks’ decision to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marković should have every opportunity to crack the rotation after being stashed overseas last season. He may not be a must-draft player in standard leagues, but managers in deeper formats should track Marković’s play throughout the summer and preseason.

Clifford didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, which was also the case in Saturday’s opener against the Nets. However, others picked up the slack against Milwaukee, including Marquel Sutton, who scored a game-high 24 points. For the Kings, the hope in Las Vegas will be that Clifford plays well enough early to prompt the team to shut him down. With DeMar DeRozan no longer in the picture, logging heavy minutes consistently is certainly possible for Clifford once the regular season begins.

Cardwell’s final stat line is one that category league managers dream of getting when the games actually count. Not selected in the 2025 draft, his defensive activity made the 6-foot-11 center a fan favorite as a rookie. And that should remain the case, especially if Cardwell can provide value similar to what he did on Monday. Of course, fantasy managers won’t expect to see him put up eight “stocks” and 12 rebounds consistently, but rotation minutes should be available. And if the Kings find a new home for Domantas Sabonis, Cardwell could become a player worth rostering in some standard leagues.

After getting up 29 shots in his summer debut, Acuff toned it down a bit on Monday. The rookie guard shot 4-of-9 from beyond the arc but was just 3-of-10 from two, and he also committed more turnovers (four) than assists. Given where the Kings are, next season will be a rebuilding one for the franchise. While that bodes well for Acuff’s playing time, fantasy managers should be prepared to take a hit in the efficiency stats.