NBA Player News

Duren is the lone Pistons regular on the injury report for Sunday’s regular-season finale, even though Detroit’s playoff seeding won’t be affected by the outcome. Isaiah Stewart is available, but most of Duren’s minutes may be absorbed by Paul Reed, as Beef Stew only recently returned from a strained calf.

A door that was once closed for Mitchell and other players like him swung open earlier this summer thanks to a court ruling that now gives college players five seasons of eligibility to be completed over five years. The original rule gave them four years of eligibility. Despite playing well for the Celtics’ summer league team, Mitchell is reportedly considering returning to school to fill the final available roster spot for the two-time defending Big East champions. If Mitchell, who has yet to finalize a contract with the Celtics, were to return to school, Boston would retain his draft rights. Given how lucrative NIL deals can be for some players in this new era of college sports, a domestic “draft and stash” may not be a bad idea for Mitchell, especially when considering that he would be playing for one of the sport’s best coaches in Rick Pitino.

Added via sign-and-trade ahead of the 2024-25 season, Thompson’s first two seasons in Dallas have not gone as planned. While his 38.7 percent mark from three is respectable, that is nearly four percentage points lower than his number with the Warriors. Also, the Mavericks have not been a contender in Thompson’s two seasons, especially after former lead executive Nico Harrison decided to trade Luka Dončić to the Lakers. With 16 players on standard contracts and a new lead executive, Masai Ujiri, calling the shots, it’s unsurprising that the Mavericks would reportedly explore the market for Thompson. In July, it was reported that Miami had interest in Thompson, potentially adding another shooter to play off of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

Marshall is entering his third season in Dallas and is now set to be tied to the team until 2030. The two best scoring seasons of his career have come during his time with the Mavericks, and his veteran presence will be important as they continue to add young talent. Marshall has stepped up when Dallas has dealt with injuries in the frontcourt, and he’ll likely continue to be a valuable reserve option for them next season.

Moody is one of two Warriors rotation players working their way back from season-ending knee injuries, with Jimmy Butler being the other. While Butler is recovering from a torn ACL, Moody suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in late March. He has made progress in his recovery but still has not been cleared to resume running or on-court activities. The hope is that Moody will receive that clearance sometime in September, but there is still no concrete timeline for a return to game action. While fantasy managers can justify stashing Butler in an IL+ slot, that should not be their approach with Moody.

In an unsurprising move, LaVine exercised his player option for the 2026-27 season, as he is set to make just over $49 million. Given the youth of Sacramento’s roster, the veteran guard’s role for next season is unknown. What is reportedly known is that the front office is not willing to put its long-term financial future at risk by waiving LaVine and stretching his contract. The contract makes LaVine a challenging player to move, which would not have been the case had he not picked up the player option. When at his best, LaVine can offer middle-round value in standard fantasy leagues. However, due to the Kings’ current position as a rebuilding team and LaVine coming off a season in which he played 39 games, his draft value may be knocked down a few rounds.

Sochan’s deal with Portland will mark the forward’s third stop in his NBA career. He split last season between the Spurs and Knicks, ultimately finishing as an NBA champion in New York. Sochan saw career lows in playing time, points, rebounds, and assists in 2025-26, but a change of scenery could benefit him. Still, the Trail Blazers are loaded with talent, so there’s no guarantee Sochan will carve out a big enough role to make a fantasy impact.

Payton II’s reported return to Golden State will mark his seventh season with the team. The veteran guard played a large role in the Warriors’ championship run during the 2021-22 season and remains a key contributor off the bench. He averaged a career-high 7.5 points last season across 73 regular-season games, but is not expected to have much fantasy impact in 2026-27.

Kuminga hit unrestricted free agency after the Hawks declined to pick up his $24.3 million option for the 2026-27 season. The former Warriors lottery pick remains without a team, but there has been interest. While a return to Atlanta is possible, the Lakers and Cavaliers also expressed interest in signing Kuminga, but both teams would likely require a sign-and-trade to get a deal done. Now, Minnesota has reportedly joined the mix after missing out on LeBron James, who chose to sign with the 76ers. With the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Timberwolves can use another forward, even if Kuminga does not have the size of a traditional power forward. And going to Minnesota could give Kuminga a chance to start, which may not be the case with the other reported options.

Watson remains a restricted free agent, and there has not been much movement between him and the Nuggets regarding a new deal. While Denver wants to hold onto him, the possibility of a sign-and-trade remains. According to Scotto, the Nuggets would want a future first-round pick in return if they were to move Watson. One of the teams reported to be interested, Milwaukee, is said to be willing to consider absorbing Zeke Nnaji’s contract, which the Nuggets have been looking to get off their books for quite some time. Watson also has the option of accepting his qualifying offer of $6.5 million, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Watkins reportedly suffered the injury during the Wizards’ summer league opener against the Jazz, which explains why he didn’t appear again after playing 20 minutes as a starter in that game. Watkins was selected with the 43rd pick in 2025 and was solid as a rookie, especially down the stretch of the season. Now, there is a chance he misses the entirety of his sophomore campaign. It’s unclear if he would’ve had much of a role this upcoming season, but this solidifies that Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley will see most of the wing minutes off the bench.