Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Will stay with Sacramento
    Monk (knee) intends to sign a four-year, $78 million deal with the Kings, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Monk continues to recover from a knee injury, but that hasn't stopped him from reaching an agreement with the Kings. The sharpshooter averaged career-high marks in points (15.4) and assists (5.1) per game en route to finishing second in the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award voting. Even though Monk was expected to be a sought-after player in the open market, instead, he chose to sign with the Kings and is expected to make the deal official once the league year begins July 1. Rotowire.com Thursday, 8:23 pm
     
  • Woj: Malik Monk intends to re-sign with Sacramento
    According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Malik Monk intends to sign a four-year, $78 million contract to remain with the Kings.

    Advice: One of the NBA’s best sixth-men during his two seasons with the Kings, Monk has reportedly decided to remain in Sacramento and not test free agency. Despite suffering a sprained right MCL in late March, Monk still finished second in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting after averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.1 3-pointers in 26.0 minutes per game. Making 70 appearances, Monk was an 11th-round player in 8-cat formats. Depending on what the Kings do with starters Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes, who have been the subject of trade rumors, Monk could be even more valuable to fantasy managers in 2024-25. Rotoworld Thursday, 8:13 pm
     
  • Report: 76ers not interested in Zach LaVine
    According to PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck, the 76ers are not interested in acquiring Zach LaVine.

    Advice: NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported on Thursday afternoon that the Bulls have made “as many as 15 trade offers” centered around LaVine, with Philadelphia being one of the teams approached. According to Neubeck, the 76ers’ feelings about LaVine have not changed since the February trade deadline: they aren’t interested. Given the recent reports and Chicago reportedly trading Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey, it’s clear that lead executive Arturas Karnisovas is looking to make significant changes to the Bulls roster ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Rotoworld Thursday, 6:16 pm
     
  • Traded to Oklahoma City
    Caruso was traded from the Bulls to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Advice: After spending the first four years of his career with the Lakers, Caruso played in Chicago over the past three seasons. He had a career-best year during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per game while making 71 regular-season appearances. The 30-year-old will join a talented Thunder squad that finished last season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and he'll provide a solid shooting presence as long as he can remain healthy during the 2024-25 season. Caruso is entering the final year of his contract, but the Thunder hope to sign him to a long-term extension at some point, per Wojnarowski. Rotowire.com Thursday, 2:16 pm
     
  • Woj: Bulls to trade Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City
    According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bulls are trading Alex Caruso to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey.

    Advice: Caruso is reportedly on the move after spending the last three seasons in the Windy City. After injuries limited the veteran guard to 41 games during the 2021-22 campaign, he played 67 and 71 games the following two seasons. Caruso averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.9 3-pointers this past season in 28.7 minutes. Posting career-high averages in points, rebounds, steals (tied with 2021-22), blocks, and 3-pointers, Caruso provided 5th-round per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats. He’s never been a high-usage player, and that attribute, combined with the defending and 3-point shooting, should make for a good fit next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Rotoworld Thursday, 2:14 pm
     
  • Report: Bulls actively shopping Zach LaVine
    The Bulls have made as many as 15 trade offers centered around Zach LaVine, per NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson.

    Advice: It shouldn’t be surprising that Chicago is looking to move LaVine based on how last season went, but for a team that hasn’t made a trade in years, they’re being far more active than normal. They’ve reportedly made offers to the Kings, Magic and 76ers, among other teams. At this point, it seems like LaVine has played his last game as a Bull. Rotoworld Thursday, 8:57 am
     
  • Report: Gary Payton II to opt into player option
    According to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Gary Payton II will opt into his $9.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season.

    Advice: By opting in, GPII has the flexibility to sign an extension with the team this offseason according to Andrews. Payton II has played a key defensive role for Golden State in recent seasons, but he’s much better in real life than he is in the realm of fantasy hoops. Rotoworld Wednesday, 9:14 am
     
  • Picks up player option
    Payton exercised his $9.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season Wednesday, Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com reports.

    Advice: By exercising his player option, Payton will be on the books for the upcoming season and will now be able to negotiate a possible contract extension with the Warriors. Payton has had some tough luck with injuries in recent seasons, but he's invaluable to the Warriors for his perimeter defense. In 44 regular-season appearances in 2023-24, Payton averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 15.5 minutes per contest while shooting 56.3 percent from the field. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 9:11 am
     
  • Drains clutch 3 in Game 5 win
    Pritchard posted three points (1-1 FG, 1-1 3Pt) in under one minute of playing time during Monday's 106-88 win over Dallas in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

    Advice: As he did periodically during the regular season and postseason, Pritchard once again drained a half-court end-of-quarter three just when the Celtics needed a boost. In Game 5, he heaved a half-court triple with under four seconds to help Boston take a 21-point lead into halftime. It was a lead the Celtics would never relinquish as Boston earned its 18th banner. Pritchard hit three triples over five 2024 NBA Finals games. He has three years remaining on his current contract, so expect more off-the-bench heroics moving forward. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 7:05 am