NBA Player News

Nurkic was traded to the Suns on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal between Phoenix, Portland and Milwaukee, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The deal also sends Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton to Portland.

While Lillard and Holiday are the big headliners, Nurkic brings some much-needed big man depth to Phoenix in the wake of Ayton being shipped to Portland in the deal. For the most part, Nurkic has struggled with injuries over the last four seasons, playing 52, 56, 37 and eight games, respectively. When healthy, he's a productive source of points, rebounds and defensive stats, but he'll likely slide in as a secondary piece on a Suns roster that has plenty of offensive firepower.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday that Porzingis (foot) is completely healthy ahead of training camp, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports.

Porzingis sat out the 2023 FIBA World Cup due to plantar fasciitis, but as expected, he's good to go for his first training camp with the Celtics. "Kristaps has been running up and down the court the last few days," Stevens said. "I thought the progression that his trainers [in Latvia], our trainers here and everybody came up with to get him back so that he could avoid anything lingering was key." The new-look Celtics will presumably have some kinks to work out in 2023-24, but Porzingis, whose fantasy value likely takes a hit with the move, brings a new dimension to a team with championship aspirations.

Adams (knee) is doing well in rehab and should be full go for training camp, head coach Taylor Jenkins said in an interview with Steven Aschburner.

Adams suffered a sprained PCL in his right knee in late January and missed the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign. It appears his offseason rehab is going according to plan, but fantasy managers should expect Memphis to proceed with caution, meaning Adams may be subject to minute restrictions and/or rest days to start the 2023-24 campaign.

Pokusevski (arm) sustained a right ankle sprain during an offseason workout Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in six weeks, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.

Pokusevski suffered a small right humerus fracture at the beginning of June and was unable to play for the Serbian national team in the FIBA World Cup as a result. Although he was evidently cleared to resume working out, he's now dealing with an ankle issue that will force him to miss several weeks and could sideline him for the start of the regular season. Pokusevski has had a relatively consistent role over his first three seasons with the Thunder, averaging 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 21.7 minutes per game.

Vanderbilt signed a four-year, $48 million extension with the Lakers on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

The final year of the deal is a fully guaranteed player option. After being traded to the Lakers in February, the 6-foot-8 forward excelled as a hard-nosed player who defended multiple positions and rebounded well. Vanderbilt's offense is certainly a work in progress, which limits his overall fantasy value, but he's a core rotational piece for Los Angeles' star-studded roster.

The Kings waived Queta on Tuesday, Adrian Wojanowski of ESPN.com reports.

Queta will part ways with Sacramento after signing a two-year deal with the team earlier this offseason. With Nerlens Noel also being released, Alex Len and JaVale McGee will likely compete for the backup center role behind Domantas Sabonis (thumb). Queta has made just 19 NBA appearances but was a standout for the Stockton Kings of the G League last season.

The Kings waived Noel on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports.

Sacramento waived both Noel and Neemias Queta (foot) on Tuesday, meaning that Alex Len and JaVale McGee will compete for the team's backup center role behind Domantas Sabonis (thumb). Noel is a capable shot-blocker who can find himself on another roster competing for a depth role in the frontcourt for the 2023-24 season.

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Landale (ankle) will be a full participant in training camp at the end of September, Coty M. Davis of SI.com reports.

Landale suffered a left ankle injury while playing for the Australian national team at the FIBA World Cup in mid-August, but the injury isn't expected to impact his availability for the start of the 2023-24 NBA campaign. The big man is currently able to do some basketball drills, but he hasn't progressed to 5-on-5 work yet. Landale signed a three-year contract with Houston in July and is slated to be the primary backup to Alperen Sengun.

Thompson is finalizing a deal with the Cavaliers on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Entering his age-32 season, Thompson will provide the Cavaliers with some veteran leadership and frontcourt depth. He's not guaranteed to be in the rotation, however, and he's unlikely to make a big fantasy impact. Thompson will compete with Damian Jones for backup minutes behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Marjanovic is slated to sign a one-year deal with the Rockets on Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Marjanovic will return to Houston after appearing in 31 contests for the Rockets last year, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 5.5 minutes per game. The veteran big man will compete with Jock Landale for backup minutes behind Alperen Sengun.