NBA Player News

Thybulle is battling for a starting spot at training camp, per Trevor Lane of LakersNation.com.

Lane believes Thybulle is the third-best fit in the starting lineup behind Ziaire Williams and Jake LaRavia. Thybulle is primed for a big role as a three-and-D threat for the Lakers, but staying on the court has been an issue in recent years. He's logged just 45 regular-season appearances over the past two seasons and may not be trusted with substantial workloads, but Thybulle has managed to average at least 1.2 steals every year of his career despite never playing at least 26 minutes per game.

The Suns exercised the team's third-year option for 2027-28 on Maluach on Thursday.

This was a no-brainer decision after Maluach was selected in the first round last year. Maluach could be primed to take on a significantly larger role in Phoenix's frontcourt, which has a major void due to Mark Williams' offseason shoulder injury.

The Suns exercised Dunn's fourth-year option for 2027-28 on his rookie contract Thursday.

This was the expectation as Dunn plays out the final year of his rookie deal in 2027-28 ahead of restricted free agency the following year. He figures to be contending for a bench role with the likes of Jordan Goodwin, Haywood Highsmith, Rasheer Fleming and perhaps even rookie first-rounder Koa Peat at training camp this fall.

The Rockets waived Castro on Thursday, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com.

The move vacates a two-way roster spot for Houston. The undrafted rookie now sets his sights toward finding other opportunities around the league this preseason.

Podziemski said at Warriors media day he wants to shoot more threes per game, per Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Head coach Steve Kerr is in full support as well, offering Podziemski encouragement Wednesday to fire away from downtown. Podziemski opened last season as a part-time starter before moving into a full-time position with the first unit post-All-Star break, averaging 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals in his final 27 regular-season games, and he could become a lethal threat from deep especially once Jimmy Butler (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (undisclosed) are both in the mix.

Melton revealed this offseason that he underwent surgery on each of his thumbs, per Danny Emerman of SFStandard.com.

Melton is fully recovered now, but playing through the discomfort resulted in him shooting just 29.4 percent from deep during the regular season, his lowest mark since 2019-20 with Memphis. The swingman is competing at training camp with Gui Santos and Yaxel Lendeborg for a starting role, and Melton has shown he is capable of being an effective nine-category fantasy player when healthy after averaging at least 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 three-pointers in five straight seasons.

Smith said Thursday he is 100 percent healthy after a lingering calf issue ended last season early, per Will Gottlieb of CHGO Bulls.

Smith got a chance to start for the Bulls at times in 2025-26 as they searched for Nikola Vucevic's replacement, averaging 12.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.8 blocks in 24.6 minutes per tilt across 21 regular-season games as a starter last season. Now that Claxton is in the picture, Smith appears primed to revert to the No. 2 center role in 2026-27, which could cap his upside from a fantasy perspective. Availability has also been a concern for Smith throughout his career, as he's never reached the 70-game mark in any of his first six seasons and couldn't finish last year with the aforementioned calf problem.

Head coach Ty Lue said Wednesday the Clippers are going to give Wagler a lot of on-ball opportunities, per Joey Linn of SI.com.

With Brandon Ingram (Achilles) sidelined to begin the season, Los Angeles is already short on proven playmakers beyond Darius Garland. Bradley Beal (knee) appears ticketed for a reserve role, meaning Wagler has a chance to be the team's second scoring option behind Garland while Ingram is sidelined and carries plenty of upside in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.

Head coach Ty Lue has been very impressed with Garland's offseason, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.

Lue also notes he'll push Garland when needed, so it sounds like the Clippers are planning to give the star guard all the usage he can handle amid Brandon Ingram's (Achilles) absence. Provided he stays healthy after playing a career-low 45 regular-season games last year, Garland has the upside for a career campaign with a rebuilding Los Angeles team.

Sam Amico of Hoops Wire believes Knecht is on the Lakers' roster bubble.

Despite LeBron James' offseason exit, Knecht still likely finds himself behind newcomers Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Cameron Carr, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams on the depth chart. A different situation may be needed for Knecht to attain fantasy relevance in 2026-27.