NBA Player News

Ellis’ fractured left index finger will keep him out of Friday’s game, freeing up minutes on the back end of the Cavaliers’ rotation. Nae’Qwan Tomlin may be the player who benefits most, with Craig Porter Jr. slotting in as Dennis Schröder’s backup.

Back in the Heat starting lineup after sitting out Miami’s second game in Las Vegas, Donaldson put forth his best performance of the summer on Monday. He shot 9-of-13 from inside the arc, leading the Heat in scoring with 22 points. Donaldson is on a two-way contract, and with the Heat making strides in filling out their rosters, opportunities at the NBA level next season may be scarce. However, the Heat have done well with their G League affiliate in the past, and Donaldson has shown promise this summer after going undrafted.

Signed to a two-way contract after going undrafted, Udeh provided solid rebounding and rim protection in Monday’s victory. Given the Cavaliers’ frontcourt depth, carving out a consistent role for himself as a rookie may prove challenging. However, even if Udeh spends most of his rookie season in the G League, he is worth keeping an eye on in deeper dynasty leagues.

One day removed from going for 30 points against the Pistons, Thomas was even better on Monday. The 34th overall pick scored 21 points in the first half, shooting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, and finished with 35. While the summer league competition is not on par with what Thomas will see in the fall/winter, he’s clearly playing with a chip on his shoulder after falling out of the first round of the draft. Regardless of what happens with Cleveland’s pursuit of LeBron James, Thomas scores too well to be out of Kenny Atkinson’s rotation.

With the Grizzlies exercising their option on his contract for the 2026-27 season, Prosper’s NBA future in the short term is far more secure than it was when he joined the franchise on a two-way deal last September. As a result, there may be opportunities for him to earn rotation minutes next season, especially with the Grizzlies moving Santi Aldama. Prosper shot 40.5 percent from three on 2.8 attempts per game last season, and he has been a more willing perimeter shooter this summer. If he can carry the progress into the 2026-27 campaign, there may be moments when O-Max is a worthwhile streamer in deep leagues.

That makes two double-doubles in as many games for Coward, who also dished out four assists. The combination of injuries that limited him to 62 games as a rookie and the Grizzlies beginning a new era without Ja Morant could explain why Coward is still playing in Summer League. Still, it would be unsurprising if he were shut down at some point. Due to the changes made by the Grizzlies’ brain trust over the past season and this summer, Coward will have a higher fantasy ceiling in 2026-27.

Boozer did not shoot the ball as accurately as he did in Friday’s win over the Bulls, but he had another productive day at the office. The rookie forward’s stat line was missing only a blocked shot, with a 2-of-8 effort from deep accounting for the low field-goal percentage. Boozer played well in Salt Lake City and he’s carried that over to Las Vegas. Given the amount of basketball that he’s played, the third overall pick in last month’s draft may be a prime shutdown candidate for the rest of this week.

The 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Springer is still looking to lock down a consistent role in the NBA. The former first-round pick came off the bench on Monday and provided solid production, shooting 50 percent from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Dallas’ reserves made the difference on Monday, with Springer and undrafted rookies Darin Green Jr. (18/3/5/2 with five three-pointers) and Kodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu (16 points, four rebounds and two blocks) combining to score 51 points.

De Larrea had an excellent floor game on Monday after struggling in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers. The rookie guard was responsible for 12 of Dallas’ 25 assists on the night, with the other four Mavericks starters combining for six. With Kyrie Irving expected to be fully healthy when next season begins and Cooper Flagg also in line to have the ball in his hands plenty, de Larrea’s fantasy ceiling may be limited as a rookie. But the basketball IQ makes him someone worth stashing in dynasty leagues.

After coming off the bench in his first two summer league games, Cenac moved into the Celtics’ starting lineup on Monday. And as he did in his summer debut, the first-round pick out of Houston blocked four shots. Cenac was also responsible for five turnovers, but there should not be too much concern about that category. As long as he’s active on defense and on the glass, there should be opportunities for Cenac to contribute this season, even with Boston improving its frontcourt depth by signing Mitchell Robinson.

The Hawks did not have Zuby Ejiofor or Asa Newell for Monday’s game, which opened a spot in the starting lineup for Veesaar. The second-round pick, who many believed could have gone in the first round, shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and recorded a complete stat line. Veesaar’s contract has not been finalized yet, so he could be on a two-way or standard deal once the season begins. However, he has the offensive tools and rebounding ability to provide added value off the bench for the Hawks, who need more size in the frontcourt.