Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Stein: Magic, 76ers targeting Caldwell-Pope
    The Magic and 76ers are considering making runs at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, per Marc Stein.

    Advice: KCP has won two of the last five championships as part of different squads while providing value on both ends of the value. He should make a huge impact on either the 76ers or Magic as both teams are ready to contend and could use a 3-and-D starter at shooting guard. KCP has been an incredibly impactful starter for the Nuggets the last couple of seasons, which could earn him a big raise if he moves to the East. Rotoworld Sunday, 11:34 am
     
  • Bound for free agency
    The Nuggets declined Cancar's (knee) $2.35 million team option for the 2024-25 season Sunday, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post reports.

    Advice: Cancar will thus be eligible to begin negotiating with teams as an unrestricted free agent beginning July 30. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2023-24 season after undergoing surgery in August to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, but Cancar is expected to return to game action for the Slovenian national team in a 2024 Summer Olympics qualifying tournament in July. According to Durando, the Nuggets haven't closed the door on re-signing Cancar on a minimum contract. During his last healthy season with Denver in 2022-23, Cancar appeared in 60 games and averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.8 minutes. Rotowire.com Sunday, 9:23 am
     
  • Will be cleared in near future
    Morant (shoulder) said Saturday he will be medically cleared for basketball activities in about two weeks, CBSSports.com reports.

    Advice: Morant played only nine games last year due to a 25-game suspension and a major shoulder injury. He averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals across 35.3 minutes. The All-Star had successful surgery on his right shoulder in mid-January and will be able to practice soon, meaning he should be 100 percent for next season's training camp. Morant hopes to take the Grizzlies back to the playoffs after a year ruined by injuries saw them finish with a 27-55 record. Rotowire.com Sunday, 8:19 am
     
  • Mavs to shop Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason
    According to NBA reporter Mac Stein, Dallas will search for a trade partner to take Tim Hardaway Jr. as part of the team’s strategy to re-sign Derrick Jones Jr.

    Advice: Hardaway Jr. is entering the final year of his current deal and is set to make $16.2 million in 2024-25. THJ averaged 15.1 points and 2.8 triples in five seasons with Dallas, and the sharpshooter should be attractive to teams in need of three-point shooting. Rotoworld Saturday, 12:54 pm
     
  • GSW to fully guarantee Kevon Looney’s contract
    The Warriors plan to guarantee all of Kevon Looney’s $8 million contract for 2024-25 according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.

    Advice: Only $3 million of Looney’s $8 million deal is guaranteed, but the remaining $5 million will be guaranteed on Monday. According to Slater, Golden State will keep Looney under contract through Monday, though that doesn’t rule out the possibility that he could be traded down the road. This is the final year of the three-year, $22.5 million deal Looney signed back in 2022. He has played with Golden State every year of his nine-year career. Rotoworld Saturday, 12:47 pm
     
  • Dereck Lively II unlikely to be ‘pick-and-pop’ big
    Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said on Friday that he does not envision Dereck Lively II turning into a “pick-and-pop” big man next season.

    Advice: While Lively hit his first career 3-pointer during the NBA Finals and showed off his range during workouts throughout the series, fantasy managers should not expect to see him offer Brook Lopez-like production in that area next season. Dallas does not need him to do that, especially with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving running the show. “He’s not going to be a pick-and-pop guy,” Harrison said of Lively. “He has the skill to do it, but for our team, that’s not what we’re going to ask him to do. He’s really good in the short-roll, he can pass to both sides of the floor. He’s just going to get better. I think there’s a lot of room for him to grow, and he’ll do it.” Rotoworld Friday, 5:36 pm
     
  • Mavs see keeping Derrick Jones Jr. as a ‘priority’
    Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said on Friday that re-signing Derrick Jones Jr. this summer is a priority for the franchise.

    Advice: Jones was a fixture in the starting lineup throughout Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals. While his production did not make him a great option in most fantasy leagues, he fits nicely into Jason Kidd’s rotation alongside star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Dallas’s issue is that they don’t have much room financially heading into free agency, but that does not impact their view on Jones and his importance to the team. “I don’t know how we’re going to do it,” Harrison said of re-signing Jones. “But he’s priority 1-A (and) 1-B. I think he fits in with our team. He loves it here. We have to figure out the dynamics to get him to stay. But yeah, that’s a priority. We’ll do what we have to do to get it done.” “Airplane Mode” should make considerably more than the $2 million he did this season, whether in Dallas or elsewhere. Rotoworld Friday, 5:32 pm
     
  • Quiet in Game 5 loss
    Lively chipped in two points (1-2 FG), four rebounds and one block across 24 minutes during Monday's 106-88 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

    Advice: Lively struggled playing on the road in the NBA Finals, accumulating six points and 16 rebounds in three games. However, Lively posted a double-double in both games in Dallas. This more closely resembled the rest of his successful playoff run, during which he averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 66.7 percent in 16 games. Overall, the 20-year-old had a successful rookie season and will look to increase his production in Year 2. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 1:05 pm
     
  • Efficient in Game 5 loss
    Jones provided 10 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and one block in 22 minutes during Monday's 106-88 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

    Advice: Jones started all 22 playoff games for the Mavericks and averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks while shooting 48.1 percent from the field. The 27-year-old came into his first season with the team after struggling to carve out a role with the Bulls during two years in Chicago. Jones will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, and his play throughout this season will likely earn him more interest around the league than last summer. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 12:21 pm