Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Exercises player option
    Bates-Diop (shin) exercised his $2.65 million player option Monday for the 2024-25 season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: This is an expected move for Bates-Diop. The forward made just 14 appearances for the Nets last season, averaging 1.6 points in 4.9 minutes per game. Bates-Diop missed the end of the season with a right shin stress reaction, but he's expected to be healthy entering training camp. Rotowire.com Monday, 8:29 am
     
  • Report: Keita Bates-Diop opting in with Nets
    According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Bates-Diop has chosen to opt to a one-year, $2.65 million deal that will keep him with Brooklyn for the 2024-25 season.

    Advice: Bates-Diop spent 14 games with the Nets after being traded by the Phoenix Suns last season and played a minor role off the bench. He averaged just 1.6 points per game with Brooklyn. Rotoworld Monday, 8:18 am
     
  • Report: DEN plans to decline Vlatko Cancar option
    According to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, the Nuggets plan to decline Vlatko Cancar’s player option for next season.

    Advice: Cancar injured his knee while playing for Slovenia last summer and did not play for the Nuggets this past season. He’ll return to game action in early July when Slovenia participates in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament. According to Durando, the Nuggets remain interested in bringing Cancar back, albeit on a different contract. Rotoworld Sunday, 4:05 pm
     
  • Stein: Knicks potential suitor for Paul George
    The Knicks are a potential trade suitor for Paul George, per Marc Stein.

    Advice: There have been plenty of rumors that multiple teams could pursue a trade for George this summer, and Stein believes that you can add the Knicks to the list. PG would give the Knicks another dynamic scoring option that won’t cost them on the defensive end, which would make them even more of a contender in the East. It’s unclear what type of trade package that the Clippers would bring back, but the Knicks could arguably make one of the most competitive offers for George that could still keep the Clippers competitive if they include Julius Randle in a deal. Rotoworld Sunday, 11:29 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
     
  • 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
     
  • Woj: Thunder to trade Josh Giddey to Chicago
    According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder will trade Josh Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso.

    Advice: The sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Giddey’s fantasy ceiling sank considerably as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became one of the league’s best players, and 2022 lottery pick Jalen Williams emerged as a rising star. Playing in a career-high 80 games this past season, Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.0 3-pointers in 25.1 minutes. The scoring average decreased by more than four points per game compared to the 2022-23 output (16.5), and Giddey’s perimeter shooting struggles led him to lose minutes to players such as Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace during the postseason. The move to Chicago could be just what the doctor ordered for Giddey, especially if Lonzo Ball cannot return from his knee injury. The Bulls roster should result in Giddey having the ball in his hands more, even with Coby White stepping up as the starting point guard this season. Fantasy managers should not use a top 60 pick on Josh (Yahoo ADP in 2023-24: 58.9), but he has top 100 potential with this move. Rotoworld Thursday, 2:21 pm
     
  • Dealt to Chicago
    The Thunder traded Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: After receiving a significantly reduced role in the playoffs, averaging just 12.5 minutes across six games against Dallas, Giddey's long-term future in Oklahoma City seemed uncertain. As such, it is not surprising to see the 21-year-old guard dealt for Caruso, who can offer better perimeter defense for the Thunder. Giddey could receive an opportunity to have the ball in his hands more often now that he is no longer playing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 25.2 minutes across 80 games in 2023-24. However, he will be competing for playing time in a crowded backcourt with Coby White, Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball (knee). Rotowire.com Thursday, 2:18 pm