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New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (ankle) was forced to undergo surgery after suffering an injury during the first-round series of the playoffs. Luckily, it sounds like Randle is progressing well from his ankle surgery. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Randle will be fresh and ready to go at the beginning of training camp. That's good to hear after Randle played 77 games last season and earned himself his second All-Star appearance. Randle was a top 75 fantasy player last season, so fantasy managers should expect similar production this upcoming season.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo, Suns center Deandre Ayton could be on the move. With Damian Lillard still in Portland, Fischer believes Phoenix and Utah may get involved to facilitate a three-way trade, possibly resulting in Ayton getting sent to the Trail Blazers and Jusuf Nurkic going to Phoenix. Of course, while there were countless updates surrounding Lillard over the summer, the latest scenario involving the 2018 No. 1 overall pick is intriguing, considering Monty Williams is no longer at the helm. But perhaps a change of scenery would benefit Ayton, who has been hit or miss from a production standpoint throughout his career. Nevertheless, with training camp around the corner, a deal involving the 25-year-old could happen sooner rather than later. However, Ayton's fantasy value won't be determined until managers know where he'll be playing this season.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo, the Bulls and Raptors have had discussions with the Blazers regarding guard Damian Lillard. After the All-Star requested a trade in July, specifically to Miami, updates cooled off over the last few weeks. However, with training camp on the horizon, teams have emerged as potential suitors. The 33-year-old has spent his entire career in Portland, averaging 25.2 points, including a career-high 32.2 points in 2022-23. Of course, any deal with the Raptors will likely involve Pascal Siakam. On the other hand, the Bulls have young, up-and-coming players on the roster, which would dramatically alter Portland's championship window. But no matter where Lillard lands, assuming he's traded, he's expected to remain a top-10 fantasy option in all formats.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Pacers aren't interested in acquiring guard/forward Tim Hardaway Jr. Buddy Hield is expected to be moved sometime soon, with Dallas recently emerging as a potential destination. However, despite the fact that the salaries between both players are similar, making a swap easier, Indiana may not be fond of Hardaway's additional contract year. The 31-year-old has bounced around the league throughout his career, making stops in New York, Atlanta, and Dallas. He's appeared in 657 regular-season games, averaging 14.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 36.1% shooting from deep. Hardaway was rumored to be on the move last season, although it never happened. But with the Mavs seemingly not done reshaping the roster, the sharpshooter's days in Dallas might be coming to an end.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks are interested in acquiring Pacers guard Buddy Hield. The sharpshooter will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, so he requested a trade after not receiving an extension offer to his liking. Of course, multiple teams have emerged in the latest rumblings surrounding Hield. However, Dallas might be in the best position to make a swap with the Pacers, at least in terms of matching salaries, considering the Mavs can exchange Tim Hardaway Jr. Still, as for now, it doesn't appear as if discussions between Dallas and Indiana have progressed, with Stein indicating that Indiana may not want Hardaway in return. With training camp is right around the corner, a deal could happen soon. Yet, until fantasy managers know where Hield is heading, it is tough to determine how things will look from a production standpoint.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has received high praise from his head coach Chauncey Billups, who is backing him for stardom. "Scoot is going to be a star in this league," Billups told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. "He plays both sides of the floor with ferocity. He is very, very driven. He's a playmaker, he's a real point guard. Got some leadership about him. He looks like he's the starting safety of the Denver Broncos. He's going to be an exciting player for the whole world to watch but our fan base, they can rest assured they'll be entertained." As Damian Lillard seems to be on the brink of leaving Portland, Henderson appears poised to star in the NBA already in his rookie season.

Dallas Mavericks guard/forward Josh Green is looking to improve defensively in 2023-24. "I want to be able to be a bigger defensive presence next year for the Mavs," Green told Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball.com. "I think this is a perfect time to try. I think I'll be in pretty good shape from picking up full court every game." Green took big strides last season to produce a career year, and the 22-year-old appears to have no intentions of resting on his laurels. He already had a solid role in the rotation a season ago, averaging close to 26 minutes a night, but taking his defensive game up a notch will definitely improve his chances of earning even more playing time.

New York Knicks guard/forward Josh Hart is believed to be penciled in for the backup power forward role for training camp. According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks like the idea of Hart playing in the second unit and making plays as a screener out of the short role. The team doesn't have a lot of frontcourt depth, and playing Hart in the power-forward position will be an interesting experiment. The 28-year-old stands only at six-foot-four, but he's always been a good rebounder, and it seems like the Knicks staff sees Hart as a good fit for the position.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is fully healthy and ready to go for the 2023-24 NBA season, and teammate Jaden Ivey sees him having a great campaign. "I think a lot of people are going to be shocked," Ivey told Omari Sankofa of The Detroit Free Press about Cunningham. "He's going to have a special season this season for us." Cunningham, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Monday, has averaged 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists through his 76 career games. A stress fracture in his left shin limited the talented guard to just 12 games last season, but he's been healthy all summer, and judging by Ivey's words, Cunningham appears ready to take his game to the next level.

Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan is ready to add another element to his game, announcing he will be taking more three-point shots in the new season."Next year it'll be more frequent threes from me without a doubt," DeRozan told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. "Just because I've always had this vision in my career as I got older, I want to be able to just continue to expand my game. And that's a main priority and a point of focus for me to just capitalize on as I get older." DeRozan is among the top 40 scorers in NBA history, but he has averaged only 1.5 three-point attempts for his career. He has gotten close to two attempts per game in the past couple of seasons, and it looks like the 34-year-old is now ready to fully embrace outside shooting. If he can do it efficiently, then we should see DeRozan's scoring numbers get a nice bump. He hit 32.4 percent of his three-point shots last term.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. is expected to remain a starter for the team in the 2023-24 campaign. Law Murray of The Athletic has noted that the 12-year veteran will remain in the starting unit until he is "moved or declared replaced." The Clippers tried to trade Morris Sr. in the summer, and he was part of an attempted three-team trade involving Kristaps Porzingis going to Boston before it fell apart. The 34-year-old is entering the final season of his contract and will be paid $17.1 million for his services in 2023-24.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to reach a contract extension with forward Jaden McDaniels (hand) in the near future. "We'd love to get something done. We want Jaden to be here as long as possible", Timberwolves president Tim Connelly said during a recent podcast. The 22-year-old fractured his hand when he punched a wall amid Minnesota's final game of the regular season last year, but he should be healthy for fall training camp. McDaniels has been an important contributor alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards as a three-and-D presence who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. The 2020 first-round pick would become a restricted free agent at the end of 2023-24 if he can't come to terms on a new deal before then. McDaniels looks like a solid late-rounder in category leagues.

Hornets guard Frank Ntilikina (hamstring) is in Charlotte for the team's training camp this fall, but his level of participation remains to be seen. The 25-year-old missed the World Cup with a hamstring injury, and he still appears to be working his way back from that. Ntilikina latched onto Charlotte on a one-year deal in early August to serve as backcourt depth behind LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. The former first-round pick will battle with Theo Maledon for the backup point guard job, and enters the 2023-24 season without much to write home about after averaging a scant 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 47 games with the Dallas Mavericks last year.

Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston believes Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is in line to play more at the point guard position in the 2023-24 season. "The Celtics will get an extra heaping of Point Tatum this season", Forsberg expects, particularly after losing Marcus Smart during this offseason, and with Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) reportedly upset with the organization for how they handled his postseason elbow injury. Any extra ball-handling opportunity for Tatum would be music to his fantasy managers' ears in points leagues, but it could result in some more turnovers here and there. With Kristaps Porzingis now in Beantown alongside Jaylen Brown, it would only make sense for Tatum to spend added time as a facilitator during the upcoming campaign. Tatum's combination of durability and nearly flawless fantasy package lock him in as a cinch first-round pick across all formats this fall.

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton is back in trade talks as the team has been receiving calls on his availability in a potential Damian Lillard deal. Jusuf Nurkic has been floated in trade rumors ever since Lillard requested a trade a few months ago. The Trail Blazers haven't found any teams to make a deal work with the Miami Heat since they weren't liking any of their offers. Now, Ayton could possibly be in the mix with Nurkic maybe on his way to Phoenix. Philadelphia, Toronto, and Chicago have all been active in trade talks and Ayton could be the missing piece that ties everything together in a neat bow. If Ayton does move on from Phoenix, his value could increase depending on the situation.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was traded away from Utah just one year ago as he joined the young, up-and-coming duo of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers had some great showings with Mitchell leading the way last season, but they ultimately fell flat in the playoffs after losing in the first round to the New York Knicks. Mitchell currently has three years left on his current contract with the third year being a player's option. That means he's eligible for an extension next offseason. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, he's not expected to sign an extension any time soon as he still feels out if the Cavaliers are in his long-term plans. The team's success will be something to monitor as Mitchell may want to leave earlier than expected.

Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson injured his ankle during his first Summer League action and was shut down immediately afterward. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the rookie guard is healthy again and he'll be ready to go when training camp rolls around. He's expected to be a big part of this team's future and he's been working on his shooting leading up to his first season. The two main areas of his game that he's worked on already are the weaknesses that were pointed out on draft day. His shooting and pace of play need fine-tuned, and the Rockets' coaches are already on top of it,

Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield is on the trade block after contract negotiations reached a stalemate. The veteran sharpshooter couldn't agree to an extension, so he's now working with the team to find a trade partner. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Mavericks, 76ers, and Bucks have all shown interest in making a deal. Hield is coming off of one of the best years in his career in terms of three-point shooting percentage after he shot 42.5% on 8.5 attempts per game. He also averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest.

Free-agent forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The 27-year-old hasn't seen any suitors while hanging around in free agency until now, even though he averaged 20.3 points per game for the Hornets last year. He would provide some much-needed offense outside of just Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, especially if James Harden is moved. It's unclear whether or not he would join the starting five until the Harden domino falls. Either way, he should become one of their top offensive role players.

According to Arizona radio host John Gambadoro, the Suns might be interested in acquiring Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic. Of course, Portland's focus remains on finding a deal surrounding Damian Lillard. However, if the All-Star guard is moved, Nurkic could become available. Rumors involving Deandre Ayton being traded have cooled off significantly in the last few months. But if Nurkic is on the market, the Suns may consider it an upgrade, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The 2014 No 16. overall pick has appeared in 463 regular-season games during his career, averaging 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. He has some things to work on, including his free-throw percentage. More importantly, Nurkic has had issues staying healthy, which has negatively impacted his fantasy appeal.