NBA Player News

The Lakers are trading Ayton to the Wizards in exchange for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Ayton's departure was imminent following the addition of Walker Kessler. In Washington, Ayton figures to be the primary backup to Alex Sarr, filling the void left by the departure of Marvin Bagley. Ayton doesn't seem like an appealing fantasy option on his new team, as he needs a lot of volume and minutes to be worthwhile in standard formats.

Queta and the Celtics agreed to a four-year, $56 million extension Friday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The Celtics recently picked up Queta's team option for 2026-27, but the team quickly moved to lock him up for another four years through 2030-31. Queta averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals in 25.3 minutes per game across 76 regular-season outings (75 starts) last season, but he does have some extra competition for next season with the Celtics adding Mitchell Robinson up front.

Onyenso agreed to a two-way contract with the Pistons on Thursday.

The No. 53 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Onyenso appears poised to see run in the G League after putting pen to paper on a two-way deal. He'll likely face an uphill battle to carve out a role in the rotation, so Detroit will presumably allow him to continue his development with Motor City.

Bagley (shoulder) agreed to a one-year deal with the Nuggets on Wednesday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

After playing for three teams over the past two seasons, Bagley will join the Nuggets for the 2026-27 campaign. The big man appeared in 60 regular-season games (12 starts) between the Wizards and Mavericks last season, averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 combined steals-plus-blocks while shooting 61.8 percent from the field across 20.0 minutes per contest. He figures to operate as Denver's top backup big man behind Nikola Jokic.

Castleton signed a two-way contract with the Magic on Wednesday, Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot reports.

Castleton will return to Orlando after operating as a two-way player for the club last season. The 26-year-old big man appeared in just four regular-season games for the parent club and missed significant time with a fractured right hand. He figures to see the majority of his playing time with Orlando's G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic.

Nelson agreed to a two-way contract with Orlando on Wednesday, Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot reports.

Nelson was selected by Washington with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and subsequently traded to Orlando. He began his collegiate career at Arkansas State before spending the 2025-26 campaign at South Florida. In 34 games, which included an NCAA Tournament loss to Louisville, the 22-year-old averaged 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.6 steals over 27.3 minutes. The Magic's roster is loaded, and while that doesn't necessarily mean Nelson won't see the floor for the parent club, he will likely spend most of his first season in the G League.

The Grizzlies traded Aldama (knee) to the Mavericks on Wednesday in exchange for AJ Johnson, a protected 2030 Warriors first-round pick and two second-round picks, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

After spending the first five years of his career with Memphis, Aldama will head to Dallas, where he figures to provide frontcourt depth while competing for playing time with Morez Johnson and Daniel Gafford. Aldama's 2025-26 campaign was cut short due to a right knee injury, and he underwent an arthroscopic procedure in mid-March. Over 43 regular-season games (11 starts) last season, he averaged a career-high 14.0 points along with 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 combined steals-plus-blocks in 27.9 minutes per contest.

The Jazz are signing Hayes to a two-year, $12 million deal Wednesday, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

The second season on the contract has a team option as well. Hayes spent his last three years with the Lakers, but now he's lined up to compete for the backup center role behind Jusuf Nurkic with Kyle Filipowski next year. Hayes averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 blocks in 18.3 minutes over 66 regular-season contests in 2025-26.

Carter's outlook becomes more uncertain following Orlando's acquisition of Nikola Vucevic.

While Carter has served as the Magic's starting center in recent seasons, Vucevic's return could cut into his playing time and potentially shift him into a reduced role depending on how Orlando structures its frontcourt rotation. Carter is likely to remain with the first unit, but his fantasy value may take a hit if the two centers split minutes consistently.

Nurkic (nose) is projected as Utah's top starting center for the 2026-27 season after the Jazz lost Walker Kessler to the Lakers this offseason, Jared Koch of SI.com reports.

Nurkic was highly productive when available for the Jazz, averaging 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.4 minutes per game across 41 regular-season games (36 starts) last year. The veteran big man will have a new partner in the frontcourt with Jaren Jackson now in the fold, so it'll be interesting to see how the two big men mesh in 2026-27. Nurkic should be ready for the start of training camp after undergoing season-ending nose surgery in February.