Lakers coach Luke Walton said Lonzo Ball (knee) won’t be ready for 5-on-5 scrimmages when training camp starts next week.

Advice: Ball has gone through some 1-on-1 drills, but Walton said the Lakers won’t "rush him back at all." He had the injured portion of his left meniscus removed during his July surgery and was expected to be 100 percent for camp, so this obviously isn't ideal with the season less than a month away. He's shaping up to be a risk vs. reward player in the middle rounds. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 4:55 pm

Despite a "fantastic offseason," GM Sean Marks said it's unlikely that the Nets will agree to an extension with D'Angelo Russell before the Oct. 15 deadline.

Advice: "If I was to say right now, I’d probably say we’ll let it ride out. But things change in this business pretty quickly, so we’ll adjust as we go," Marks said. This isn't a big surprise with the Nets trying to keep their flexibility for free agency in 2019. Russell is healthy, motivated and the coaching staff and his teammates have been talking him up all summer, but as talented as he is, inefficiency and durability concerns makes him one of the most polarizing fantasy assets. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 4:26 pm

Rick Carlisle said that Dennis Smith Jr. is a guy he'll be "counting on" to step up this season.

Advice: "It’s a big year for him," said Carlisle of DSJ. "He had a very good statistical year last year and he’s a guy that we’re counting on." Smith Jr. put in averages of 15.2 points, 3.8 boards, 5.2 dimes, 1.0 steal and 1.5 triples per contest last season, but his 39.5% shooting mark really weighed down his value. If he could improve the efficiency, that would be a dramatic boon to his value. He's on the radar as a late-round, sleeper pick. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 2:48 pm

Patrick Beverley (knee surgery) will not have any limitations entering training camp.

Advice: Beverley will go to camp in Los Angeles, but there's a chance he could be making a move to Phoenix at some point, with rumors heating up about the Suns' interest in him. He's coming off a very serious knee injury but has looked great at recent workouts, and he could be fun to own if he does wind up in Phoenix. Beverley is someone to consider towards the final few rounds on draft day. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 2:15 pm

DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) will not be ready for training camp.

Advice: Cousins tore his Achilles in late-January, so he might not be making it back to the floor until around Christmas. The primary goal is to have Boogie good to go when the playoffs begin, so expect him to be brought along slowly with plenty of random rest days throughout the year. He's probably going to be more trouble than he's worth, but there's nothing wrong with taking a flier on him towards the later rounds. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 2:07 pm

Andre Roberson (left knee surgery) has still not been cleared for contact or five-on-five work.

Advice: Roberson said that he hopes to be 100% by December, so it sounds like there's a good chance he'll miss the beginning of the season. That will create some increased opportunity for Dennis Schroder, but Schroder will likely lose a ton of value once Roberson works his way back into the rotation. To be clear, Roberson isn't worth drafting anywhere. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 1:31 pm

Brett Brown said he's expecting Joel Embiid to be "dominant" this season.

Advice: Brown has been thoroughly impressed with Embiid's workouts this summer, and we'd anticipate the 24-year-old center taking another big leap forward in his third NBA season. While he remains a bit of an injury-risk after only making it through 63 games last season, it's worth noting that none of those missed games last season were due to knee or foot issues. If you want him, you'll need to invest at the top of Round 2. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 11:34 am

Sixers coach Brett Brown said Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons will occasionally play together next season.

Advice: Both players are capable of playing off the ball, so this certainly makes sense. It will be very interesting to see how Fultz looks in training camp and the preseason, which will provide our first look at his re-worked jumper. Brown said that Fultz has been very diligent in his offseason work and took a whopping 150,000 shots this summer. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 10:58 am

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said that Kawhi Leonard is healthy and expects Leonard to arrive in Toronto "shortly."

Advice: Here's the full quote from Ujiri on Leonard: "He's happy, and from what everybody has told me he's healthy. He's determined. He seems in the right frame of mind... I think there's a fire inside him and we're all excited about that." Masai also stated that Leonard has already spent a lot of time with the Raptors coaches and met many of his new teammates while training in L.A. over the summer. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 9:15 am

Contrary to recent speculation, the Rockets do not plan on signing Corey Brewer.

Advice: Brewer was seen working out at the Rockets facility and was photographed with GM Daryl Morey, leading to reports that Houston was bringing Brewer back. However, that won't happen, according to longtime Rockets reporter Jonathan Feigen. Brewer, one of the most established vets remaining on the market, is looking to sign with a new club prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. Rotoworld.com Yesterday, 6:34 am