2 years agoWhile the New York Knicks have emerged as the front-runners to land star Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, there's a chance the Miami Heat could offer a more enticing package. According to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Jazz front office has expressed interest in acquiring Heat guard Tyler Herro in a deal for Mitchell. Larsen went even further by saying that at least one person in the Jazz front office would rather acquire Herro in a deal than RJ Barrett, who has been one of the main players discussed in a trade with the Knicks. We're still very much in the thick of the rumor phase in regards to a Mitchell deal. It's also unclear at this point whether the Heat would be willing to part with Herro, who at just 22 years old has already established himself as a key contributor for the Heat.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: Salt Lake Tribune

2 years agoThe Indiana Pacers announced on Thursday that power forward/center Isaiah Jackson won't be logging anymore minutes at this year's Summer League. Jackson was a bit of a surprising addition to the team's Summer League roster as he had a productive rookie year in 2021-22 when he was healthy. Across his three Summer League outings, he averaged 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. In his final game on Tuesday, he didn't miss a single shot from the field, shooting 7-for-7 on the way to 14 points.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: James Boyd

2 years agoThe Indiana Pacers announced on Thursday that rookie guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin (toe) wouldn't play in anymore games in this year's Summer League. The rookie out of Arizona is dealing with a sore left big toe. Mathurin had a strong Summer League finale against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. He led all scorers with 20 points in the game despite only playing 19 minutes. He also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the contest. Mathurin was the sixth overall pick in this year's draft. He has a good chance of seeing a consistent 20-25 minutes per game as a rookie and he's someone worthy of selecting in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: James Boyd

2 years agoThe Phoenix Suns have matched the Indiana Pacers' offer sheet on power forward/center Deandre Ayton. The 23-year-old is now officially remaining in Phoenix. The Pacers extended him a record max offer sheet worth $133 million over four years on Thursday. The Suns had a 48-hour window to determine whether they would match the offer sheet and it only took the franchise a matter of hours to make the decision to match. Ayton was the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He's averaged a double-double in each of his four NBA seasons and he helped the Suns reach the finals in 2020-21. He'll be one of the top contributors on what should be another strong Suns team in 2022-23.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania

2 years agoChicago Bulls guard/forward Dalen Terry had a strong all-around game in the team's Summer League contest against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. He scored a game-high 20 points while adding five rebounds, two steals, two three-pointers, one assist and one block. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line in the game. The Bulls have a bit of a crowded roster right now, but Terry still has a chance to carve out a role with the team as soon as this year. The 6'7" 20-year-old offers a lot of versatility and he's given the Bulls a lot to like in Las Vegas.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: NBA.com

2 years agoAtlanta Hawks rookie forward A.J. Griffin (foot) sat out once again for the team's Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. He is dealing with right foot discomfort and has yet to play a game in Las Vegas. It seems likely, now that the tournament is winding down, that Griffin won't make it onto the court at all in Vegas. The 18-year-old was selected 16th overall this year after playing one season at Duke. The Hawks are loaded on the wing right now so Griffin is unlikely to see much playing time as a rookie, but he offers a lot of three-point shooting upside once he gets his opportunities.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: Brad Rowland

2 years agoDenver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (back) mentioned that he is 100 percent healthy after missing all of last season. Despite that, head coach Mike Malone said the team plans to be extremely cautious with Porter. That being said, fantasy managers should expect Porter to be on a minutes limit early next season. That's assuming Porter is able to make it through training camp and the preseason without injury. Porter should be able to do plenty of damage with around 25 minutes per night. He'll be a high risk-high reward fantasy player heading into next season.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Law Murray

2 years agoIndiana Pacers forwards Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and guards Nik Stauskas and Duane Washington Jr. have been waived by the organization. The team has a verbal agreement with superstar center Deandre Ayton. That deal is worth $133 million over the next four seasons. That being said, the Pacers need to clear salary cap space in order to bring in Ayton. Most of these players were acquired in the Malcolm Brogdon trade with the Boston Celtics. Outside of Washington, none of them were expected to play many minutes off the bench. It's possible that Washington catches on elsewhere, but it's unlikely he'll get enough minutes to warrant rostering in most fantasy formats.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski

2 years agoMinnesota Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell mentioned that he'd love to sign an extension with the organization. The 26-year-old said that he'd like to get a deal done before the season begins. He is entering the final year of his deal, which carries a base salary of $31 million. It seems likely that Wolves would want to keep Russell considering they added superstar center Rudy Gobert already. The front office likely wants to keep all their studs on the roster, but sometimes that isn't possible. It remains to be seen if the two sides will come to terms on a deal this offseason.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic

2 years agoThe Phoenix Suns officially have 48 hours to match the Indiana Pacers maximum offer sheet on Deandre Ayton. The stud big man has agreed to a four-year $133 million deal with the organization. The Suns clearly haven't viewed Ayton as a max-level player, so we'll see if this changes their tune. This is the largest offer sheet in NBA history, so it wouldn't be shocking if the Suns decided to let Ayton go. The addition of Ayton would likely mean Myles Turner gets moved at some point this offseason. Possibly, the two of them could be alongside each other, but that might not be the best for their fantasy value. Fantasy managers will have to wait and see what the Suns decide to do over the next day or so.--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Wojnarowski

2 years agoDenver Nuggets rookie forward Christian Braun put up some solid stats in the team's Summer League game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. He grabbed a game-high 12 boards, including five offensive rebounds, while also adding eight points, five assists, three blocks and one steal. Braun has had some trouble shooting the ball so far this summer and those struggles continued in Wednesday's game as he went 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-5 from three-point range. The 21-year-old was selected 21st overall in this year's draft. He likely won't be a regular part of the team's rotation as a rookie this year.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: NBA.com

2 years agoSacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray had a fantastic game in the team's Summer League matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. He shot 9-for-17 from the field and 9-for-11 from the free throw line on the way to a game-high 29 points. He also added seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and two three-pointers. This was Murray's most well-rounded game of the summer thus far. The fourth overall pick certainly looks to be ready to contribute for the Kings out of the gate this season. He's a solid target for fantasy managers in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts as he should provide solid percentages to go along with scoring and three-pointers this year.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: NBA.com

2 years agoOklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren put together yet another fun stat line during Wednesday's Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings. He played 25 minutes in the game and compiled eight points, five rebounds, five steals, three assists and one three-pointer while shooting 3-for-8 from the field. Holmgren's full skill set has been on display during Summer League play as he's made some great passes and shown fantastic defensive awareness. He's sure to see a lot of run on a rebuilding Thunder team this year, making him a potential fantasy stud for the 2022-23 season.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: NBA.com

2 years agoThe Utah Jazz have made all of their veterans available in trades, according to sources of The Athletic. Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverly are some of the names that The Athletic's Shams Charania has mentioned as being available -- in addition to the team's most prized piece, Donovan Mitchell. All three aforementioned guards are sure to be targeted by competitors looking to bolster their backcourt for next season. Clarkson in particular is an intriguing trade piece as he's shown the ability to consistently score the rock as a member of the Jazz. He averaged a career-high 18.4 points per game in 2020-21 and then went on to average 16.0 points per game last year.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic

2 years agoNew York Knicks shooting guard Quentin Grimes is one of the primary targets for the Utah Jazz in a potential blockbuster deal that would send Donovan Mitchell to the Big Apple, according to sources of The Athletic. The Knicks have emerged as the frontrunner to land Mitchell. The Knicks' future first round picks are reportedly the primary assets that the Jazz covet, but Grimes is a leading candidate to be part of the trade as well. The 22-year-old saw limited minutes as a rookie last year, but flashed some promise when given the opportunities. He shot 38.1% from the three-point line over the season. He scored a season-high 27 points while knocking down seven threes against the Milwaukee Bucks last December.--Andrew Ericksen - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic