Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Undergoes foot surgery
    The Celtics announced Thursday that Porzingis recently underwent successful foot surgery and is expected to return to play in 5-6 months, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.

    Advice: Porzingis dealt with a lower left leg injury during the playoffs, and offseason surgery was expected. He underwent a procedure to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon and will likely be forced to miss the start of the regular season in the 2024-25 campaign. Rotowire.com Today, 7:41 am
     
  • Undergoes toe procedure
    The Knicks announced Thursday that McBride underwent a procedure of the pinky toe on his right foot earlier this week, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: The team didn't provide an official timeline for McBride's recovery, but he's expected to resume full basketball activities later in the summer, which puts him on track to be ready to go for the start of training camp in the fall. During his third NBA season in 2023-24, McBride struggled to find consistent playing time early in the campaign when the Knicks were in better health, but he took on a sizable role as injuries began to pile up over the course of the season. After the All-Star break, McBride appeared in 39 of the Knicks' 40 games (including playoffs) and averaged 11.7 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 three-pointers in 29.6 minutes per contest. Though he excelled in a supporting role when given major minutes, McBride will likely see a stark drop in playing time in 2024-25 with the Knicks having acquired Mikal Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby (hamstring) this offseason. Rotowire.com Today, 7:04 am
     
  • Progressing well
    Ball (knee) has been cleared to do "pretty much everything on the floor" and is on track to participate in 5-on-5 drills in August, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune reports.

    Advice: Vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas provided an update on Ball's status after the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft and was optimistic Ball could be ready in time for training camp. Ball hasn't played since January of 2022 due to left knee issues that have required three surgeries, but he's been taking part in basketball activities and could be healthy enough to play in the 2024-25 season. The 26-year-old picked up his $21.4 million player option for the upcoming season. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 8:39 pm
     
  • Healthy after surgery
    Bulls vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said Wednesday that LaVine (foot) has been "fully cleared" after undergoing surgery in February, Will Gottlieb of AllCHGO.com reports.

    Advice: LaVine had surgery on his right foot in early February with a recovery timetable of 4-to-6 months. A little over four months removed from the procedure, LaVine has been fully cleared and should be a full-go for training camp. The 28-year-old appeared in just 25 games during 2023-24 due to a few injuries, including the right foot issue that lingered throughout the campaign before February's shut down. He averaged fewer than 20 points and four assists per for the first time since 2017 last year. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 8:29 pm
     
  • Jimmy Butler to go into 2025 FA w/o extension
    According to Shams Charania, “I’m told (Jimmy Butler) will not be signing an extension with the Heat or any other team ahead of his opt-out in 2025 free agency.”

    Advice: This doesn’t rule out the possibility of returning to Miami after the 2024-25 campaign, but it keeps Butler’s options open ahead of next summer’s free agency. Rotoworld Yesterday, 5:09 pm
     
  • Set for four-year extension
    Claxton intends to sign a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Nets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Less than 24 hours after dealing Mikal Bridges to the Knicks, Brooklyn is on the verge of locking up Claxton for four seasons. The 24-year-old started in each of his 147 appearances over the last two seasons, averaging 11.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocks per game in 2024. Claxton's name had been rumored in trade talks this offseason with the Nets slated for a rebuild, but for now, he's one of the franchise's cornerstones. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 4:46 pm
     
  • Woj: Nic Claxton intends to re-sign with Brooklyn
    Nic Claxton intends to re-sign with the Nets on a four-year, $100 million deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

    Advice: The Nets may be shifting towards a tank after making two big trades on Tuesday, but they’ll retain Claxton for at least four more seasons. The athletic big should continue to be a strong fantasy asset, and he may get the chance to grow his offensive game on a tanking squad. Noah Clowney had a chance to move into the starting unit if Claxton walked, but he will still see a significant role next season. Rotoworld Yesterday, 4:38 pm
     
  • Kristaps Porzingis likely to miss start of season
    Celtics team president Brad Stevens said on Tuesday that he expects Kristaps Porzingis (left leg surgery) to miss at least the start of next season.

    Advice: Appearing on the Ryen Rusillo Podcast, Stevens said while the team does not know precisely how much time Porzingis will miss, he’s expected to miss the start of the season. “We’re going to be different right out of the gate simply because we have guys like Kristaps after his surgery -- we don’t know exactly when he’ll be back. But he’ll probably miss at least the very start of the season,” said Stevens. “That’ll be a great opportunity for us to do things different and have to find different solutions and those types of things that come with it. And then we’ll just evaluate our team like we always do.” Porzingis suffered a dislocation of his left posterior tibialis during Game 2 of the NBA Finals and said after the series clincher that his rehab was expected to last a “few months.” The injury boosts Al Horford’s fantasy value heading into the 2024-25 season while freeing up additional usage for fellow starters Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 10:45 am
     
  • Could miss start of season
    Speaking on the Russillo Podcast, Celtics President Brad Stevens said Wednesday that Porzingis (leg) could miss the start of the 2024-25 season.

    Advice: Stevens was pretty vague with his comments, to be fair, and an official timetable won't be known until Porzingis undergoes his procedure in the coming days. Stevens mentioned that Porzingis' potential absence opens the door for the Celtics to be creative at the start of the season with their rotations. For now, it sounds like the franchise is planning for this to be a lengthy recovery process. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:22 am