NBA Player News

The Hawks will waive Dante (knee) on Thursday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

With Atlanta bringing in three players (Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Gabe Vincent) and sending out two others (Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard) in the hours prior to Thursday's trade deadline, Dante ended up being a casualty of the Hawks needing to open up a spot on the 15-man roster. The second-year center saw action in just four games at the NBA level before suffering a season-ending ACL tear during a Dec. 19 appearance in the G League. After undergoing surgery in January to address the injury, Dante's rehab program is expected to extend into the start of the 2026-27 season.

Richards was traded to the Bulls on Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Richards, who'd fallen out of favor in Phoenix, was traded, along with Nigel Hayes-Davis, to the Bucks on Thursday in exchange for Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey. However, the Bulls swept in right before the deadline to swap Ousmane Dieng for Richards. Jalen Smith was set for a long runway after Chicago traded Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics, but Richards' presence as a quality backup may hinder Smith's fantasy ceiling moving forward. Richard can be considered questionable for Saturday's game against Denver while the deal finalizes.

The Pacers traded Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin (rest), two first-round picks and one second-round pick to the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac (personal) and Kobe Brown, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

After playing an inconsistent role for the Pacers in 2025-26, Jackson will head to Los Angeles and could compete with Brook Lopez for the starting role. Jackson signed a three-year, $21 million deal with Indiana this past summer and spent the first five-plus years of his career in Indiana. Over 38 regular-season appearances (14 starts) for Indiana this season, the big man averaged 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per contest. For now, he should be considered questionable for Friday's game against the Kings.

Kornet has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Mavericks due to left ankle soreness and left adductor tightness, NBA reporter Matthew Tynan reports.

After grabbing 15 boards in 15 minutes during Wednesday's win over the Thunder, Kornet will take a seat for the second half of San Antonio's back-to-back set. Carter Bryant should stick in the rotation Thursday, while Kornet is expected to be back in action Saturday during a rematch against Dallas.

Zubac (personal) and Kobe Brown are being traded to the Pacers on Thursday in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin (rest), Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Zubac should slot in as Indiana's new starting center, but with the move to the 13-38 Pacers, his odds of experiencing a late-season shutdown have gone up exponentially. Zubac's arrival in Indiana will likely crush Jay Huff's fantasy value. The Pacers play Friday in Milwaukee, and for now, Zubac should be considered questionable for that one.

The 76ers signed Bassey to a second 10-day contract Thursday, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Bassey will return to Philadelphia on another short-term pact, despite not playing in any of the 76ers' prior six games while signed to a 10-day deal. The fifth-year center is likely to remain outside of the Philadelphia rotation unless injuries test the team's frontcourt depth.

The Celtics agreed to a two-year, $2.7 million contract with Williams on Thursday, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.

The rookie second-rounder latched on with Boston on a one-year, two-way pact this past summer, though he's now been upgraded to a standard deal. The 24-year-old big man has appeared in 13 regular-season games (two starts) so far this season, during which he has averaged 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per contest. He'll continue to provide center depth for Boston behind Nikola Vucevic (recently traded), Neemias Queta and Luka Garza.

Landale is not on the injury report for Thursday's game against the Jazz, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Landale was acquired from Utah on Wednesday and will be asked to provide some frontcourt depth. Rowland notes that Landale isn't guaranteed to see minutes Thursday, so fantasy managers will want to be cautious here. However, with Onyeka Okongwu (mouth) banged up and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) no longer in town, Landale could have a clear path to a rotation role when he's up to speed in Atlanta.

Aldama (knee) logged 12 points (4-10 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes during Wednesday's 129-125 win over the Kings.

Aldama faced a minutes limit in his return from a four-game absence due to right knee injury management, but he was able to make the most of his playing time. Now that both Jaren Jackson and Jock Landale are out of the frontcourt picture, a big role at center is in store for Aldama down the stretch once he has his restrictions loosened. Aldama has averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 three-pointers in 28.2 minutes per contest in his last six games.

The Suns traded Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis to the Bucks on Thursday in exchange for Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Richards fell out of favor in Phoenix, making only one four-minute appearance in January, but will get a fresh start in Milwaukee. He should slot right into the backup role behind Myles Turner, but with Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Bobby Portis (hip) currently banged up, Richards and Turner may see the court together at times. If Richards can't get to Milwaukee in time for Friday's game in Indiana, his next chance to suit up will come Monday in Orlando.