Mike

Muscala

Muscala, who retired from basketball last summer, will remain around the NBA and reunite with first-year coach Jordan Ott after spending time with him in Atlanta. Muscala will look to help Phoenix remain competitive after trading Kevin Durant to Houston.

Muscala, the 44th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, appeared in 53 games for the Thunder last season in his second stint with the franchise. According to his father, the former Bucknell standout has decided to enter grad school to pursue a career in basketball coaching or administration. Muscala played for seven teams during his NBA career, averaging 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Williams will miss a third straight game, and Mike Muscala split the backup center minutes with Bismack Biyombo in their last game. That means neither will see enough minutes to be worth considering for a streaming spot.

There isn’t a timeline for Williams’ return, but he will at least remain out for Sunday’s game. Bismack Biyombo and Mike Muscala, who they recently signed, will be the backup center options, if Muscala is available. Neither will be worth rostering as long as Chet Holmgren is available to play.

Williams injured his knee during Thursday’s loss to the Spurs. How long he’ll be sidelined isn’t known at this time, so he should be considered day-to-day. Bismack Biyombo is one option to absorb some of the minutes that would have gone to Williams and reported signing Mike Muscala could also be in the mix. Oklahoma City is scheduled to visit Phoenix on Sunday.

Muscala spent three and a half seasons with OKC from 2019-20 through 2022-23, and he’ll offer some depth for the postseason push. This is a solid real-life move, but Muscala has very little appeal from a fantasy hoops perspective.

With Muscala headed out the door, both big men the Pistons acquired from the Wizards (along with a trade exception worth $5.7 million) are no longer with the team. Danilo Gallinari signed with the Bucks after agreeing to a buyout with Detroit, and Wojnarowski reported that there are contending teams interested in Muscala. This will not impact fantasy basketball, as he was due to slip even further down the pecking order with Isaiah Stewart back from suspension.

Fontecchio moves into the starting unit after scoring 20 in his debut for the team on Saturday. He replaces Mike Muscala, who only played 10 minutes in that game. Until Isaiah Stewart is back, it is fair to assume that Fontecchio will start, which will make him worth streaming.

Stewart has missed their last six games and will be out on Tuesday and Wednesday. That means that Ausar Thompson and Mike Muscala should continue to be the starting frontcourt alongside Jalen Duren, though Muscala will likely be pushed to the bench after the All-Star break.

Due to his shooting ability, Fontecchio appeared to be in a good spot after being acquired from the Jazz on Thursday. That’s how things played out in his Pistons debut, with the second-year forward putting up 19 shots and playing 32 minutes off the bench. Fantasy managers should not expect Fontecchio to take on this level of responsibility consistently, but the opportunities will be there. The Pistons finish their pre-All-Star break portion of the schedule with a back-to-back, and Fontecchio is worth adding in deep leagues. Mike Muscala remained in the starting lineup but only played 10 minutes, going scoreless with one rebound.