Philadelphia 76ers forward Caleb Martin wants to do something "special" with his new team and sees himself playing a significant role. "They're putting a great team together. They've got a lot of guys with a lot of talent," Martin told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "So I think it should elevate my game in a personal way and as a team. I feel like we can do something special." Martin had a good spell with the Miami Heat but never established himself as a regular starter. However, he is projected to start life in Philadelphia as a member of the first unit, which increases Martin's fantasy value.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Reggie Jackson is excited to link up with Nick Nurse in the City of Brotherly Love and isn't overly concerned about his playing time, despite facing a lot of competition for minutes at the point guard position. "Since he was with the Raptors and became a head coach, kind of seeing how his team played, it was very interesting," Jackson told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Obviously, they played Lowry and (point guard) Fred VanVleet how well they played together. They played long lineups where you had (forwards) Kawhi (Leonard), you had Pascal (Siakam), you had (Chris) Boucher. Shoot, he played (post players) Serge (Ibaka) and (Marc) Gasol at times together." Jackson finds himself as the third point guard in Philadelphia behind Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry. However, he could still play a significant part in the rotation if Nurse continues to roll with lineups featuring multiple point guards.

Boston Celtics forward/center Kristaps Porzingis (leg) hasn't suffered any setbacks in his recovery from a rare leg injury but isn't close to returning to basketball activities. "He's in Latvia. He's starting to do more and more and more," Celtics president Brad Stevens told Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. "He was in a boot for a while there, but every indication is he's progressing well and he's on the right timeline. But it's going to be a while." Porzingis had surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon after the NBA Finals. He was expected to be out for 5-6 months, meaning the Latvian big man will likely be unavailable until at least late November. Al Horford will have elevated fantasy value at the start of next season with Porzingis on the shelf.

Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton was carrying a leg injury during the Paris Olympics. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Haliburton dealt with a "minor" leg injury and had an MRI during the tournament. The Pacers star featured in only three games during Team USA's run to win another gold medal, logging 26 total minutes. Injuries have started to trouble Haliburton quite often, but this setback shouldn't keep him from being ready to go for the start of the new NBA campaign. Haliburton had a fantastic season in 2023-24, and as a relatively young player, he should have the potential to elevate his game even further.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Dennis Schroder enters a contract year with the aim of securing himself a long-term future with the team. "I want to be in Brooklyn long-term. Hopefully that works out," Schroder said in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. "I want to be a veteran who shows the young people the way and how we should play and how we play as a team. I understand that the NBA is always more individual, but I want to make one team like we had in Atlanta where it was about just winning and really not (caring) who scores." Schroder landed on the Nets roster during the latter part of 2023-24 and had a good time. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.0 assists with 41.2 percent shooting from downtown. The German is under contract for $13.4 million next season.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Utah Jazz are seeking two first-round picks for center Walker Kessler. The 23-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks as a rookie. He also shot 72.0% from the field. However, outside of Kessler's statistical contributions as a shot-blocker, his production regressed while being limited to just 22 appearances in the starting lineup. At this point, there's a chance Kessler remains on the team, at least to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Yet, with John Collins, Drew Eubanks, and 2024 No. 32 overall pick Kyle Filipowski on the roster, Kessler doesn't have a clear path to playing time, significantly decreasing his fantasy value.

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has been in the rumor mill quite a bit this offseason in the midst of the Lauri Markkanen trade talks. After recent news saying that the Warriors are not including Kuminga in trade talks, it looks like they'll need to work on extensions for a couple of their younger players. Kuminga and Moses Moody are looking to get themselves some extra money, and the former is looking for a max extension from his rookie deal. Other players to get max extensions from the 2021 rookie class include Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner. Kuminga improved in every category last season as he averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic led Serbia in scoring on Thursday in a game where it looked like they were going to pull off a historic upset against Team USA. The 31-year-old ended the game with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists. He shot 8-for-18 from the floor and 3-for-10 from deep. A lot of his damage was done in the first half when Serbia had their biggest lead. Bogdanovic gestured towards Carmelo Anthony a lot throughout the game which seemed to be in reference to the last time these two teams played in the last gold medal game. Bogdanovic still has two more years plus a team-option for a third year remaining on his contract with the Hawks.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was up to his usual heroics on Thursday but it came just short of a historic win over the powerhouse United States. The three-time MVP posted 17 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes. He very rarely went to the bench in this game as Serbia needed his playmaking and presence against a star-studded roster. His shooting performance wasn't what we're used to seeing as he went 7-for-17 from the floor and 0-for-6 from downtown, but his playmaking was on full display as the rest of the team shot 15-for-33 from deep.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid cashed in his best performance of the Olympics when Team USA needed it most in the semifinals. Against his rival, Nikola Jokic, Embiid put up the second-most points on the team while boasting one of the highest plus/minus stats on the night. The former MVP registered 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block while shooting 8-for-11 from the floor and 2-for-3 from deep. His performance at the Olympics has been up and down, but one of the biggest reasons he was included on this team was to go up against bigger centers like Jokic and the two seven-footers they'll have to face in the gold medal game against France.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry put together an explosive performance on Thursday to help Team USA come back and beat Serbia in their semifinal matchup. The sharpshooter finished with 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting overall and 9-for-14 from downtown. He also added eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal. In the first half, Curry was the main reason that the game didn't turn into an absolute destruction as he poured in 20 of his 36 points with USA going down by double digits. He capped off his big day with two clutch free throws at the end which put the USA ahead 95-91 and gave them the chance to fight for a gold medal on Saturday.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James played a huge part in the 95-91 comeback win over Serbia in the semifinals of the Olympic games. The King registered the second triple-double of his international career and ended with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 rebounds, and one steal. He shot 6-for-9 from the floor including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc while orchestrating some huge plays down the stretch on both sides of the ball. James' leadership has been on full display during the Olympics as he continues to be the vocal and spiritual leader that the team has needed.

Guard Trent Forrest has signed a deal with Spanish team Baskonia. The 26-year-old will move to Europe following 151 NBA appearances. He took the court 38 times with the Atlanta Hawks last term, posting 2.2 points and 2.4 assists in 10.9 minutes. Forrest spent two seasons in Atlanta after starting his NBA career with the Utah Jazz in 2021-22. He's struggled to get regular action but can now showcase his talents in the Spanish ACB league and the EuroLeague.

Forward Oshae Brissett remains a free agent but is generating interest among a few teams and isn't ruling out a return to Boston, where he spent the 2023-24 campaign. "I'm still a free agent now, talking to some teams. You guys will all see, obviously, when it happens, where I end up. That's full transparency, man," Brissett said on his YouTube show, BrissyTV. "At the end of the day, that's what it comes down to. I love every single part about being a Boston Celtic. And I could go back, who freakin' knows? Hey, the door's not closed fully. There's still a spot on the team. Who knows?" Brissett is ready to don the Celtics green again despite being limited to 11.5 minutes per game last term. The 26-year-old has averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.3 minutes across his 227-game career.

Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey is expected to be the team's primary ball-handler after arriving from Oklahoma City. The 21-year-old Australian is set to share the backcourt with Coby White, but a source has told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that it has always been a plan to employ Giddey as the starting point guard when bringing him in. "They view him as Lonzo Ball-light a point guard with positional height to not only rebound, but attack the opposing defense with his ability to get the ball quickly up the floor by keeping his own dribble or uncanny outlet passing," adds Cowley in his report. With the Bulls appearing to have a lot of trust in his ability, Giddey looks primed for a bounce-back campaign in 2024-25.

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) has taken a significant step in his attempt to return to action in 2024-25. Per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls have confirmed that Ball has started playing in full-contact five-on-five scrimmages and hasn't suffered any setbacks. In his report, Cowley adds that this doesn't mean Ball is even close to being cleared for an NBA season. But it is a big step, no doubt. Ball has undergone three knee surgeries since his last NBA appearance in January 2022. He's looking to become the first pro athlete to return to elite-level action following a meniscus transplant surgery.

Former first-round pick Malachi Flynn has signed a one-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs. The 26-year-old guard moves to Texas after splitting the 2023-24 campaign between three teams. After starting out in Toronto, Flynn also saw action with the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. While with the Pistons, Flynn erupted for a career-high 50 points against Atlanta on April 3, the second-most points a player has ever scored off the bench in NBA history. He posted 5.5 points per game overall during the season with 1.9 assists. The 50-point effort shows that Flynn clearly has some good ability, but he's been a non-factor in fantasy hoops, and that likely won't change in 2024-25.

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen agreed to a five-year, $238 million contract extension with Utah. The veteran had one year left on his previous agreement. However, despite being involved in trade rumblings, Markkanen cannot be dealt during the 2024-25 campaign with the latest deal. The 27-year-old has been at his best in Utah, averaging 24.5 points. He also earned the league's Most Improved Player award in 2022-23 and was named an All-Star that same season. Markkanen's health is always a cause of concern for fantasy managers. Yet, he still possesses top-25 fantasy potential in 2024-25.

Veteran forward Marcus Morris Sr. remains a free agent in early August, but he should have no problems landing a new deal for the upcoming season. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, six teams are interested in Morris Sr.'s services. Pompey notes that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers have the "best chances" to land the well-traveled veteran, who turns 35 in four weeks' time. Morris Sr. started last season with his hometown 76ers and finished it with the Cavaliers. He played a limited role on both teams, averaging 6.4 points in 16.7 minutes. Morris Sr. will likely be in a similar role next season, wherever he lands.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram looks set to remain with the team for the 2024-25 NBA campaign. The former All-Star will be entering the final year of his contract, and money-wise, Ingram isn't close to coming to an agreement with the Pelicans, but a move elsewhere also seems unlikely. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, there is a limited trade market for Ingram. Speaking during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Charania added that the "sense" around New Orleans is that Ingram is going to be there and remain part of the Pelicans team. Ingram, who will turn 27 early next month, has spent five seasons with the Pelicans, posting 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.