NBA

After spending last season with the Suns, Payton will get the opportunity to be a depth piece for the Pacers. With Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell in front of him, it’s unlikely that Payton plays much of a role.

Maledon played for Charlotte on a two-way contract last season, so not much is changing for him. Unless the Hornets catch the injury bug again this year, Maledon will spend most of the year in the G-League.

Sumner was waived by the Nets on July 15, and he’ll look to provide needed PG depth for Charlotte behind LaMelo Ball. Sumner posted 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 triples across 13.9 minutes per game in 53 appearances for Brooklyn in 2022-23. He’s off the fantasy radar in 2023-24.

Woj announced early on Friday that Primo would be hit with a four-game suspension if he signed with a team, and he found a new landing spot just hours later. Woj also reports that Primo has been “engaged in ongoing therapy,” and that will continue in Los Angeles. From a fantasy perspective, Primo isn’t on the radar in redraft leagues, and he’s barely worth a roster spot in the deepest of dynasty leagues.

The No. 12 pick in 2021 logged only four games last season before being waived by San Antonio for allegedly exposing himself to women. Primo remains unsigned, and he’ll serve his four-game suspension if he finds a new home.

Earlier this summer, there were rumors that Avdija had been dealing with a hip injury. While Unseld neither confirmed nor denied that during his media availability, he did say that the versatile forward is set to be a full participant when training camp opens on Tuesday. And that’s good news for the Wizards and fantasy managers, especially with the franchise set to embark on a rebuild. Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis were both traded during the offseason. And while the focus of many has been on Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, Avdija has room to be a player of greater fantasy value as well. Barely a top 200 player last season, Avdija is worth using a late-round pick on in standard leagues.

Wilson, who has played for three different NBA teams since being selected by the Bucks in the first round of the 2017 draft, finished last season with Orlando’s G League affiliate. After playing well for the Magic in Summer League action, he’s earned himself a training camp invitation. Given the number of frontcourt players on the Magic roster heading into camp, this transaction was likely completed with the Osceola Magic roster in mind.

It’s always good news that a roster is fully healthy heading into training camp, especially when Anthony Davis and LeBron James are among those marquee players. Neither Lakers star has appeared in at least 60 regular season games since the 2019-20 season, and that was one interrupted for more than four months by the coronavirus pandemic. On paper, the Lakers will be deeper than they were last season due to the work done by Rob Pelinka in free agency. But if this team is to be a title contender, they’re going to need Davis and James to avoid any major injuries. Davis should again provide 1st-round fantasy value, while James is in that 2nd-to-3rd round range in most leagues.

There shouldn’t have been a question regarding Russell’s place within the rotation, especially after the Lakers re-signed him to a two-year deal in July. Russell didn’t play well in the Western Conference Finals, leading to some openly questioning if he would move to the bench. Ham made it clear that D’Lo remains his starting point guard, likely providing a confidence boost with the proclamation, especially with Gabe Vincent being signed in free agency. While he was a top 75 player in 9-cat per-game value for the entire season, Russell ranked outside the top 150 after the February trade deadline. There should be a greater level of comfort in playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis than there was after he was traded, so look for Russell to provide greater fantasy value in 2023-24.

The Pacers were busy on Thursday as they continued final training camp preparations. Bell, who played in China last season, will have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot. However, with 17 players already under contract for the upcoming season, it’s more likely that this move was made with the team’s G League affiliate in mind. In addition to signing Bell, the Pacers waived Craig Sword and Pedro Bradshaw. With both being on Exhibit 10 contracts, those moves were made to secure the players’ G League rights.