• Traded to Portland
    The Wizards traded Avdija to the Trail Blazers on Wednesday in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, the No. 14 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and a 2029 pick, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Avdija had a career year for the Wizards in 2023-24, averaging 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.1 minutes across 75 appearances (all starts). Avdija's fit in Portland is unclear. Jerami Grant signed a massive extension last offseason, and Shaedon Sharpe was a lottery pick in 2022 who showed promise last season before an abdomen injury shut him down. In Portland's backcourt, Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons are expected to lead the way. Avdija signed a four-year, $55 million deal with Washington last season and is owed $15.6 million next season. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:56 pm
  • Deni Avdija headed to Portland for Brogdon, picks
    Deni Avdija has been traded to Portland for Malcolm Brogdon, pick 14 and a 2029 draft pick, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

    Advice: After having the best season of his career in year four with the Wizards, Avdija will get a fresh start with the Trail Blazers. This certainly makes Portland’s wing rotation interesting, with Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant and Matisse Thybulle all fighting for minutes. Brogdon’s departure leaves Scoot Henderson as the only point guard option, which bodes well for him heading into year two. In Washington, Tyus Jones is now more expendable with Brogdon in town, which means that he may end up signing elsewhere. Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert should both take on extra minutes next season, though it wouldn’t be shocking if the Wizards added another forward with one of their three first round picks. Rotoworld Yesterday, 3:51 pm
  • To sign five-year extension with NY
    Anunoby (hamstring) intends to ink a five-year, $212.5 million contract extension with the Knicks, which includes a player option and trade kicker, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Anunoby's extension comes in the wake of the Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges, giving the team an excellent wing tandem heading into 2024-25. Anunoby was injured for much of his Knicks tenure last season, but he averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks across 36.2 minutes during his 31 regular-season and playoff games, minus his five-minute final appearance in Game 7 of the second round against Indiana. His role should remain similar this upcoming season, especially with Julius Randle presumably returning healthy in addition to Bridges' addition. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:23 pm
  • Woj: OG Anunoby intends to re-sign with Knicks
    OG Anunoby intends to re-sign with the Knicks on a five-year, $212.5 million contract, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

    Advice: Everything seems to be coming together for the Knicks. Less than 24 hours after trading for Mikal Bridges, they are able to bring Anunoby back on a long-term deal, giving them one of the most formidable perimeter defenses in the league. Assuming both Bridges and OG start alongside Brunson and Randle, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo will likely come off the bench. New York also may struggle to bring back Isaiah Hartenstein now that they have committed so much money to Anunoby. However, they now have one of the deepest rotations in the league and still have two first round picks to add more talent. Rotoworld Yesterday, 3:18 pm
  • Gets qualifying offer
    The Pacers issued Toppin a qualifying offer Wednesday, making him a restricted free agent, Tony East of SI.com reports.

    Advice: Toppin set career highs across the board during his first season in Indiana, as he averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 stocks in 21.1 minutes across 82 regular-season appearances. He also provided a spark off the bench during the postseason, scoring at least 10 points in six straight games at one point. During that stretch, Toppin averaged 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:03 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
  • Report: Teams willing to give George 4-year deal
    According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, multiple teams are willing to give Paul George the four-year max deal he’s currently seeking.

    Advice: George has three days to decide whether or not to opt into the final season of his contract, which would be worth more than $48.8 million. While he and the Clippers have discussed a potential extension, they have not reached an agreement. George has been looking for a maximum contract of four years, but the Clippers have not gone that far. According to Windhorst, there are teams willing to take that step should PG become available via free agency or opt-in and trade. “I have been told that multiple teams out there are willing to trade for him and offer him the four-year max contract that he’s not currently being offered by the Clippers,” Windhorst said. “That means he’s got a set of options. But the question is, are the Clippers going to play ball with such a deal, or are they going to risk losing him for nothing if he can walk to a team like Philadelphia or Orlando?” Kawhi Leonard received his extension during the season, but it only runs three years in length. In addition to George, the Clippers will have to address James Harden’s status, as he will be an unrestricted free agent. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:35 am
  • Wants to remain in NBA
    Contrary to a previous report, Vezenkov said he will honor his contract with the Kings and wants to stay in the NBA, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports.

    Advice: Cunningham adds that the report which stated that Vezenkov will not return to the Kings is "off base". The Kings reportedly want to keep the sharpshooter, but there is a market for him and it's no secret that the forward would like a larger role in the rotation. In his first NBA campaign, Vezenkov posted averages of 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds across 12.2 minutes in 42 appearances. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:28 am