Portland

Trail Blazers

Israel had already been eliminated from contention for a FIBA World Cup spot, but there was still hope that Avdija would play in the nation’s most recent qualifiers. However, according to him, the Trail Blazers did not clear him to play because of the back injury he initially suffered in mid-January. Avdija said via social media that, while he wanted to play, the Trail Blazers weren’t willing to take that risk. With Damian Lillard and Ja Morant entering the rotation, Avdija’s usage is likely to take a hit in 2026-27. Hopefully, Portland’s decision to keep him out of FIBA qualifier competition was more precautionary than anything else.

This timeline has Sharpe returning after the All-Star break, though some sort of ramp-up period should be expected, meaning he likely won’t play a significant role until at least March. Sharpe was likely going to be a big contributor off the bench this season, which will likely force Portland to turn to smaller lineups, featuring two of Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, more often. The wings that may take on more minutes in Sharpe’s absence are Vít Krejčí and Sidy Cissoko, though it is unlikely either plays enough to be worth taking a chance on late in your fantasy draft.

Despite rumors that Holiday would join the 76ers after securing a buyout, Portland intends to keep him around. Holiday appeared in 53 games for the Trail Blazers last season, averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and a career-high 2.6 three-pointers per game. With Ja Morant now in town and Damian Lillard healthy, it’s unclear what Holiday’s role will be, but he should see plenty of minutes as one of the best defenders on the team.

Tonje spent his rookie season with the Celtics as a two-way player, where he appeared in six regular-season contests and totaled 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. His reported deal comes on the heels of a strong NBA Summer League showing. Tonje will join a crowded Portland backcourt this upcoming season. He is not expected to have much fantasy value.

Youngblood was one of seven Trail Blazers to score in double figures on Thursday, and he led the team with eight assists. While he’s had some good moments in Las Vegas, the Trail Blazers’ perimeter depth makes it challenging to trust Youngblood in fantasy basketball next season. The two-way deal ensures that he’ll be in training camp, but there isn’t much need to consider Youngblood outside of deep dynasty leagues.

After struggling early, Hansen was able to get some things done offensively down the stretch to help the Trail Blazers knock off Denver. Coming off a season in which he saw little playing time, this summer league experience is a big one for the 7-foot-1 center. He recorded a complete stat line on Thursday, including four blocked shots, while shooting over 50 percent from the field. With Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III in the fold, Hansen is not a player to rely on for fantasy value immediately. However, with the Time Lord’s injury history, there may be times when Hansen can work his way into the rotation.

Signed to a two-way contract in March, Youngblood’s place on the Trail Blazers’ roster is relatively secure. He was excellent on Monday, leading six Portland players in double figures with 20 points and shooting 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for Youngblood, Portland’s perimeter depth will make it challenging for him to get the opportunities needed to move from his two-way deal to a standard contract. He may be worth stashing in deep dynasty leagues, but that’s it.

Back in action after sitting out Sunday’s game against the Magic with an illness, Hansen had his best game of this year’s summer league. The second-year center missed just one shot from the field and did a good job of facilitating offense in the 111-84 victory. Hansen did not record any defensive stats, but the increased comfort on the offensive end was encouraging. The question now is whether the Trail Blazers feel that Hansen has shown them enough to merit being shut down for the rest of the summer. If anything, he’ll be best served by getting live reps against legitimate NBA bigs, which is unlikely to happen often in Portland’s remaining summer league games.

The 16th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Hansen recorded 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists in Friday’s loss to the Suns. With Donovan Clingan locked into the starting center role and Robert Williams III re-signed, Hansen will once again face long odds to earn consistent rotation minutes when the regular season begins. As for Sunday, his absence means more minutes will be available to Aliou Diarra, who was not selected in last month’s draft.

After failing to earn consistent rotation minutes as a rookie, Hansen will look to change that in 2026-27. He’ll be playing for a new head coach, but the Trail Blazers’ re-signing of Robert Williams III means that Hansen will once again face long odds. He finished Friday’s two-point defeat one rebound shy of a double-double, but there were no defensive contributions to speak of. With Donovan Clingan starting and the Time Lord backing him up, Hansen is likely to remain a player who should only be rostered in dynasty leagues.