NBA Player News

Mitchell moved into the starting lineup for Game 3 of the series with Jalen Williams (hamstring) sidelined. He suffered a right calf strain and was ruled out for Game 4 and Game 5. Cason Wallace started Game 4 and might have to start Game 5 too with Williams listed as questionable.

Barrett, who paced the Raptors’ 57-point first half effort with a team-high 15 points, remains a one-dimensional fantasy contributor and his scoring numbers figure to take a hit with the return of Kawhi Leonard, who will be the focal point of Toronto’s offense, when healthy. There will be enough volume during the moments when Leonard is unavailable for workload management reasons that he’ll offer some fantasy appeal in deeper formats.

With little proven scoring help around him, Hachimura figures to shoulder an outsized offensive burden in his Clippers debut, with most of the opposing defense focused on containing Darius Garland. He got to the line for seven free-throw attempts and led Los Angeles with 14 first-half points. He dropped 21 points in his preseason debut earlier this week. He’s a decent late-round pick in deeper fantasy leagues based on the volume he figures to generate as one of the few reliable scoring threats for Los Angeles.

The Raptors didn’t make any significant offseason changes besides the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster, which should shift a considerable amount of the scoring burden away from Barnes this season. He made some tremendous strides from an efficiency standpoint last year and Leonard’s arrival should lead to even more favorable matchups on the offensive end of the floor. It’s worth noting that Leonard has yet to play this preseason, so we haven’t gotten a look at how the offense will run just yet. It took Barnes just over one half to record a double-double in this exhibition contest. He’s a borderline first-round pick in all fantasy drafts this fall.

Garland led the Clippers with 11 field-goal attempts in the opening half, but connected on just four of them, including 1-of-4 from three-point range. He figures to serve as the team’s primary offensive catalyst, from both a scoring and playmaking standpoint, which keeps him an early-round pick in all fantasy formats.

Quickly figures to be one of the primary beneficiaries of Kawhi Leonard’s return to Toronto as he’ll be their primary facilitator while also having additional space and opportunities to operate behind the three-point line. The 27-year-old speedster drained 5-of-6 from long range during an extremely shooting performance in this one. He represents a top-60 range, early-round pick in all fantasy drafts this fall.

Murray-Boyles, who scored all nine of his points in 10 minutes off the bench in the opening half, is an X-factor in Toronto’s short and long-term outlook. He averaged just 8.5 points per game as a rookie last season, but his raw talent as an interior defender gives him the potential to form a formidable defensive trio alongside Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes. The next step in his development will be proving he can handle the responsibilities of a small-ball center, potentially giving Toronto a viable alternative to Jakob Poeltl in the closing minutes of tight games. He’s a borderline top-100 pick in fantasy drafts this fall.

After sitting out the entire 2025-26 season, Simmons agreed to a one-year deal with the Kings in early September. The hope is that he can handle the backup playmaker responsibilities as rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. gets acclimated to the NBA. Simmons doesn’t offer much as a scorer, but if he’s healthy, he could be a waiver-wire pickup worth considering in deep leagues.

After sitting out Thursday’s exhibition against the Spurs with a left knee contusion, Dort will make his unofficial Hawks debut on Saturday. He was a starter while with Oklahoma City, but the veteran guard will likely come off the bench in Atlanta once the regular season begins. If so, Dort, whose fantasy value as a starter wasn’t great, won’t be worth the risk in most leagues.

Filipowski, who appeared in 77 games last season, missed the final two contests due to a back injury. Ultimately, the 6-foot-11 big man had to undergo surgery to address a herniated disc. According to Jazz head coach Will Hardy, while Filipowski is progressing in his recovery, he has not reached the point where he can resume on-court activities. There’s no concrete timeline, with Hardy simply saying that the Jazz hope to get Filipowski back “soon.” With Jusuf Nurkic (foot) out for at least four weeks, Jaxson Hayes is the most likely replacement at center if Utah sticks with a traditional post player.

The extension is fully guaranteed and includes a mutual option in the fifth year as well as a trade kicker, according to Charania. Podziemski is coming off his best season in the NBA where he played in all 82 games and set career-highs nearly across the board. He’s coming off the board in the ninth-round of fantasy drafts this year.