NBA Player News

Porter is lined up as Cleveland's top backup point guard after the franchise re-signed James Harden.

Porter did benefit from the departure of Dennis Schroder, who previously served as the team's No. 2 point guard following last year's trade deadline. Tre Mann, who was originally acquired for Schroder, has since been rerouted to Washington, so Porter seems to have only Tyrese Proctor to beat out for the role during training camp.

Mitchell will be sharing the backcourt with James Harden again this season after the latter re-signed with Cleveland.

Harden may soak up more usage than Mitchell's previous backcourt partner, Darius Garland, but Mitchell didn't see a notable drop-off in fantasy value with Harden in the fray following last year's trade deadline. Mitchell averaged 26.0 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 22 regular-season appearances with Harden in 2025-26, keeping the former squarely in conversations as an elite fantasy asset.

Jones should open the new year in a significant role for the Nuggets after Peyton Watson was dealt to the Cavaliers.

The Nuggets made an effort to keep Jones this offseason, matching the Thunder's two-year, $12 million offer sheet, and the forward should occupy a key reserve role off the bench now that Watson is out of the mix. Jones made 64 regular-season appearances (37 starts) in 2025-26, averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 steals in 22.1 minutes per game.

Gordon (calf) could see more usage for Denver in 2026-27 after Peyton Watson was shipped to Cleveland.

Much like teammates Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson, Gordon experienced an injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign but maintained strong productivity when healthy. Gordon averaged 16.2 points, his most since his time with Orlando, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 three-pointers in 27.9 minutes per game over 36 regular-season appearances, and Watson's departure presents one less obstacle for usage.

Johnson looks to be solidified as a starter for Denver in 2026-27 after Peyton Watson was dealt to Cleveland.

Johnson's debut season with Denver may have been a disappointment, but he still started all 54 of his regular-season appearances. The 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per game he averaged were his lowest since his days with the Suns, but Johnson did shoot a career-high 43.0 percent from deep last year and should continue to find plenty of open looks playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Braun appears cemented as a starter for the Nuggets in 2026-27 after Peyton Watson was traded to Cleveland.

Despite playing a career-low 44 regular-season games, Braun was a full-time starter last year and should be locked into a similar role this season. The swingman is searching for a bounce-back campaign, closing last regular season with averages of 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 31.8 minutes per game.

Strawther could play an expanded role for the Nuggets in 2026-27 after Peyton Watson was traded to the Cavaliers.

Strawther is still ticketed for a bench role this season, even with Watson now out of the picture, but his playing time could be more consistent after finishing last postseason outside the rotation. The sharpshooter averaged 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in 15.1 minutes per game over 57 regular-season appearances in 2025-26.

Cleveland and Harden agreed Thursday to a three-year deal worth $97 million, per Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The expectation earlier this offseason was that Harden would re-sign on a new multi-year contract with the Cavaliers, and the deal is now in place. The star guard is entering his age-37 campaign but looks to have plenty left in the tank as an early-round fantasy player, having averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 three-pointers per game in 26 regular-season appearances for the Cavs in 2025-26.

Christie's path to consistent minutes became even murkier after the Clippers acquired Max Strus.

Strus should immediately slot into the wing rotation and bring the combination of shooting and veteran experience that contending teams generally prioritize. With Christie also entering the season on a non-guaranteed contract, he'll need a strong showing to secure both his roster spot and meaningful playing time, making him a difficult player to trust outside of deeper dynasty formats.

The Clippers' addition of Max Strus further crowds a wing rotation that already presented Sanders with a difficult path to immediate playing time.

Strus should command regular minutes because of his shooting and ability to play off the Clippers' primary creators, potentially pushing developmental players such as Sanders further down the depth chart. Sanders therefore projects as more of a long-term option than a player likely to make a fantasy impact.