NBA Player News

McCullar, the 56th overall pick in June’s draft, did not play in summer league due to a knee injury that prematurely ended his final season at Kansas. The two-way contract is unsurprising due to the Knicks’ wing depth in the aftermath of the Mikal Bridges trade. While he may be worth a late-round flier in deeper dynasty drafts, McCullar is unlikely to be worth the risk in redraft leagues this season.

Markkanen is set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, and he’ll surely command a huge salary on the open market. By not signing, he can renegotiate with the Jazz throughout the season, potentially get traded by February, or hit free agency next summer if no new deal or no trade materializes by the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Markkanen has been linked to Golden State, and if he doesn’t sign a new contract with Utah, he’ll likely be pursued heavily by the Warriors. If Markkanen re-signs with the Jazz after August 6, the team will not be able to trade him during the 2024-25 season.

Holiday did not play in the United States’ final group round game, a blowout of Puerto Rico on Saturday afternoon. However, the injury is not severe, as coach Steve Kerr said the Celtics guard would have played if it were a medal-round game. After starting the opener against Serbia, Holiday came off the bench for the South Sudan game in which he was injured (Jayson Tatum started). Tatum also started against Puerto Rico, but Brazil’s size and physicality could keep him with the first five, and Holiday would come off the bench.

Fernando was waived by Atlanta on July 30, and he didn’t wait long for a new opportunity. He had a minimal impact for the Hawks in 45 games last season, and he’s off the fantasy radar to begin the 2024-25 campaign.

The three-time NBA Most Valuable Player did what needed to be done on Saturday, recording another double-double to advance Serbia into the quarterfinals. South Sudan’s game plan was to make things difficult for Jokic, but the result was him doing his usual handiwork and Bogdan Bogdanovic going off for 30 points. Regarding fantasy value, the lone question for the Joker is whether he’ll remain 1.1 in drafts or cede that spot to Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.

While South Sudan devoted considerable attention to Nikola Jokic (an understandable defensive approach), they had no answer for Bogdanovic. The Hawks guard scored 18 of his 30 points in the second half (11 in the third quarter) as Serbia pulled away and guaranteed itself a spot in the quarterfinals. Greece also benefitted from the result, which took the last quarterfinal spot on point differential. Bogdanovic will remain a key player for Serbia, and his role with the Hawks could expand next season due to the departure of Dejounte Murray.

Potter spent the last two seasons on a two-way with the Jazz, and he will be back for a third. He appeared in a total of 23 games across the last two years and spent most of his time in the G-League. That trend will likely continue this upcoming season.

Swider spent most of his first two seasons with the G-League affiliates for the Lakers and Heat, and now he’ll have a chance to make Indiana’s roster. If he does, he’ll likely spend most of the year in the G-League once again, so there aren’t any fantasy implications once again.

Embiid has been ineffective for most of the Olympics, and he didn’t see the floor at all against South Sudan. That was more of a personnel decision based on matchups than a true benching, according to Steve Kerr. He returned to the starting unit for this game and had his best game in a Team USA jersey. If they’re able to rely on him more, the former MVP should be able to make a big impact for them as they continue to compete for a gold medal.

Alvarado struggled mightily in their loss to Serbia on Wednesday, and while he wasn’t able to change the outcome of this game, he was far more effective. He was the team’s leading scorer and was one of three players to score in double figures. They finished 0-3 in group play, so the next time we will see Alvarado suit up will be back in New Orleans, where he will be the backup point guard behind Dejounte Murray.