Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Sticking around in Phoenix
    O'Neale is expected to sign a four-year, $44 million deal to return to the Suns when free agency officially opens July 6, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: The Suns acquired O'Neale on Feb. 8, and he averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.9 steals across 25.0 minutes in 30 regular-season games for the team. The 31-year-old also shot an efficient 37.6 percent from deep in that span. Even with Phoenix fizzling out in the playoffs with a first-round exit and the team having since replaced Frank Vogel as head coach with Mike Budenholzer, O'Neale is still viewed as a core rotational piece for the club heading into 2024-25. Rotowire.com Today, 10:45 am
     
  • Woj: Royce O’Neale to sign 4-year deal with Suns
    According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Royce O’Neale intends to sign a four-year, $44 million deal to remain with the Suns.

    Advice: With it being reported in mid-June that the Suns intended to re-sign O’Neale, Saturday’s news is unsurprising. Acquired from the Nets at the February deadline, the versatile wing averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.0 3-pointers in 25.1 minutes with the Suns. O’Neale provided 12th-round per-game value in 9-cat formats from the trade deadline onward. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Royce will merit consideration as a late-round pick in standard leagues. Rotoworld Today, 10:41 am
     
  • Headed for free agency
    The Pistons didn't extend Flynn a $5.81 million qualifying offer Saturday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

    Advice: Flynn notably dropped 50 points off the bench in an April 3 game Atlanta, but that was essentially the only highlight of his season. All told, the 26-year-old averaged 5.5 points, 1.9 assists and 1.7 rebounds across 12.7 minutes in 69 regular-season games while bouncing around between the Raptors, Knicks and Pistons. Flynn will look to catch on elsewhere in free agency as a reserve guard. Rotowire.com Today, 9:03 am
     
  • Woj: Russell Westbrook to pick up player option
    According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Russell Westbrook will exercise his player option for the 2024-25 season.

    Advice: After making 21 regular-season appearances for the Clippers during the 2022-23 campaign, the 2023-24 was Westbrook’s first full season with the team. Appearing in 68 games, the veteran point guard averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 3-pointers in 22.5 minutes. He shifted to the backup point guard role after the Clippers acquired James Harden from the 76ers (he started James’ first five games with the team). Westbrook’s fantasy potential in 2024-25 will be impacted by multiple factors, including Harden’s free agency and whether or not the Clippers sign another point guard if The Beard re-signs. Also, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, there’s no guarantee that Westbrook will be with the team next season despite opting in. Rotoworld Today, 8:11 am
     
  • Woj: Blazers pick up Dalano Banton’s team option
    According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers have picked up Dalano Banton’s team option for next season.

    Advice: Acquired from the Celtics at the February trade deadline (Boston received a trade exception), Banton’s play was one of the few positives for the Trail Blazers last season. In his 30 games with Portland, the 2021 second-round pick averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.9 3-pointers in 29.2 minutes. It should be noted that, by that point in the season, Portland had been decimated by injuries, freeing up additional minutes for Banton. Regardless of how the opportunities came about, he did enough with them to get his contract guaranteed for next season. Rotoworld Today, 8:05 am
     
  • Staying in L.A.
    Westbrook exercised his $4 million player option for the 2024-25 season Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: The nine-time All-Star hasn't been a regular starter in the past two seasons, but he appears to have become comfortable in his role as a lead guard off the bench. Since he would have been unlikely to fetch much more than $4 million on the open market, Westbrook will stick around for a second full season with the Clippers, coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals across a career-low 22.5 minutes in 68 appearances. Westbrook's role could expand during the upcoming season if the Clippers aren't able to retain Paul George -- who is expected to decline his $48.79 million player option for 2024-25 and become an unrestricted free agent -- and don't replace him with another high-usage star. Rotowire.com Today, 7:59 am
     
  • Staying in Portland
    The Trail Blazers exercised Banton's $2.2 million team option for the 2024-25 season Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Banton will return to Portland for his first full season with the Trail Blazers after he was acquired from the Celtics in Feb. 8. While Portland shut down several key contributors with injuries late last season, the 24-year-old stepped into a focal role for Portland, averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals over 30 contests with the club. Though he played well enough to stick around in Portland in 2024-25 and may even have earned himself a rotation spot, Banton is still expected to see a steep role reduction if the Trail Blazers have the likes of Jerami Grant (hamstring), Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) and Anfernee Simons (knee) available to begin the upcoming season. Rotowire.com Today, 7:52 am
     
  • Gets qualifying offer
    The Lakers tendered a qualifying offer to Christie on Saturday, making him a restricted free agent, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

    Advice: By extending Christie a qualifying offer, the Lakers will have the ability to match any offer the 21-year-old guard might receive from another team in free agency. The 21-year-old appeared in 67 regular-season games in his second NBA campaign in 2023-24, averaging 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists across 14.1 minutes per game. Rotowire.com Today, 7:36 am
     
  • Expected to enter free agency
    The Clippers won't tender a $2.48 million qualifying offer to Boston on Saturday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: The No. 51 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Boston appeared in 51 regular-season contests as a rookie, but he didn't see his role expand in any of the subsequent two seasons. The 22-year-old ended up making just 32 appearances in 2023-24, averaging 5.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.3 steals across 10.8 minutes per contest. Boston is still young, and he will likely garner interest as a player who has potential as a rotational player moving forward. Rotowire.com Today, 7:10 am