Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown mentioned that he wants to stay with the organization despite trade rumors. The Celtics reportedly offered Brown, Derrick White, and a draft pick for Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets. Sadly for Boston, the Nets reportedly declined that trade and asked for more. Despite that, the Celtics arguably can put together the best trade package for Durant. It's worth noting that any trade for Durant would likely involve Brown. He recently refuted claims that he won't re-sign in Boston. It sounds like the 25-year-old wants to stay in Boston, but he might not get his wish.

Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland is expected to have a bigger role on the team next season. Earlier this offseason, the Nuggets traded Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Washington Wizards. That being said, it was assumed that Hyland would take on a heavier workload with Morris and Barton departing. Despite that, head coach Mike Malone would not commit to Hyland being the team's backup guard. It sounds like Hyland could be battling with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith for minutes off the bench. The expectation is that Hyland will have a bigger role and more fantasy value, but fantasy managers will have to wait and see before getting too excited.

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons remains one of the league's greatest enigmas as we look forward to the 2022-23 season. He sat out the entirety of the 2021-22 season, a year that saw him traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets and concluded with him undergoing microdiscectomy surgery in May. According to his teammate Seth Curry, it's going to be a "challenge" for Simmons to get "his rhythm back" on the court. Curry also added, "I have seen him in the facility a couple of times...doing a lot of shooting, working, working on his body and being in the gym, so, from everything I have seen, hopefully, he will be out there ready to go come training camp." It remains to be seen whether Simmons will return to the court this fall and also what type of roster the Nets will have around him. Make sure to stay tuned for further updates on the 26-year-old.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the contract talks between the Cleveland Cavaliers and guard Collin Sexton could extend into training camp and potentially even the regular season. News broke a few days back that Sexton was offered a contract by the team that he and his camp weren't happy with. The offer was reportedly somewhere in the neighborhood of three years and $40 million. The Cavaliers seem to have the upper hand in negotiations right now as the market doesn't appear to be significant for Sexton at this point. We'll see if the two sides can work something out sooner rather than later.

The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers for point guard Sharife Cooper. The move comes just a matter of days after Cooper signed his two-way qualifying offer with the team. The 21-year-old appeared in just 13 games for the Hawks last year. The Hawks bulked up their backcourt this offseason by acquiring Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs and signing free agent point guard Aaron Holiday. Cooper was a standout during his lone season at Auburn, averaging 20.2 points and 8.1 assists per game before being selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft. We'll see if any teams put in a claim for him.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart could be the key component to a trade that would send Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets to Boston. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski stated that the two teams have been discussing a Durant trade lately that would be based around Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and draft picks. However, the Nets have been asking for the Celtics to also include Smart and the Celtics appear to be unwilling to do so. The Celtics' willingness to deal Brown makes them one of the frontrunners to land Durant at this point, but the two sides still appear to be a ways away from landing a deal.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been expressing interest in Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield since the offseason began. Now, we have a report from Marc Stein that suggests the type of package the Lakers would be offering to the Pacers in exchange for Hield. Stein states that Talen Horton-Tucker would be included in the deal along with some draft capital. There's also a chance that the Lakers would be asking the Pacers to buy out Russell Westbrook in such a deal, though the likelihood of that happening seems extremely low.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook may be on the move after all. The superstar has consistently been included in reports linking him to Brooklyn in a swap for Kyrie Irving. However, the Jazz, Knicks, and Pacers are now rumored to be possible suitors. Although newly appointed head coach Darvin Ham has remained vocal regarding Westbrook's value to the organization moving ahead, it appears he could be suiting up elsewhere in 2022-23. Nevertheless, despite the 33-year-old regressing in nearly all statistical categories last season, he has an excellent shot of turning things around if he gets the keys to the offense for a new team. He's getting older. Yet, Westbrook may have more than a few years of productive play left in the tank.

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is reportedly on the Lakers' radar. Indy has been looking to move him for a while. However, with L.A. unwilling to send an unprotected first-round pick in exchange for Turner's services, it appears as if a potential deal is off the table. The 26-year-old has proven to be an imposing figure since entering the league in 2015, averaging 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks throughout his career. He hasn't been the healthiest, most recently missing 40 games last season because of a stress fracture in his foot. Yet, if Turner can stay on the court, he's more than capable of being included in the same conversation as other dominant big men around the NBA.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is on the Celtics' radar, with the C's reportedly offering a package for the superstar that included Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Yet, Brooklyn balked at the proposal and countered by requesting reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart be added in White's place. While there appeared to be a chance Durant would stay in New York for the 2022-23 campaign, things could be heading in another direction. Nonetheless, it's unknown exactly how much Boston is willing to give up for the 33-year-old. However, no matter he ends up, he'll probably remain in the MVP conversation, at least for a few more seasons.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown was reportedly included in a proposed trade package to Brooklyn for superstar forward Kevin Durant, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The C's also incorporated Derrick White and an undisclosed draft pick. However, the Nets declined the offer and requested Marcus Smart be added in White's place instead. Brown has been one of the league's up-and-coming players over the years, and he finished the 2021-22 campaign by averaging 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals. Those numbers should increase if the 25-year-old moves away from Jayson Tatum and takes over a team of his own. But he'll need to figure out how to stay healthy, regardless of where he suits up, primarily since he logged less than 58 games in two of the last three seasons. His shooting from deep could also use some work. Still, Brown has plenty of untapped potential and has a chance of entering the MVP conversation at some point in his career.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns recently mentioned that he wants to retire with the organization. The 26-year-old still has plenty of years left, but recently said he wants to stay with Minnesota. Earlier this offseason, Towns signed a four-year super max deal to keep him under contract through the 2027-2028. The All-Star center is expected to remain a top tier fantasy contributor despite the addition of Rudy Gobert. The hope is that the move to get Gobert will help the Wolves make a deep run in the playoffs. Regardless, it sounds like Towns is here to stay and should be a top-10 fantasy option.

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. is entering his final year of his rookie deal. He could be looking at a nice payday after putting up solid numbers last season. Porter averaged 15.6 points with 4.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.1 steals last season in Houston. He also notched a career-high 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. That being said, it appears both sides have mutual interest in an extension. The hope is that a deal gets done before the beginning of next season. It remains to be seen if that will actually happen, but Porter should carry decent fantasy value regardless if he gets a new deal.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has become a pivotal part of the team's nucleus over the past few years. However, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, the organization has entertained the idea of involving Adebayo in a trade that would bring Kevin Durant to Miami. Winderman wrote, "A party familiar with the Heat's approach told the Sun Sentinel that while there has been internal consideration of the team utilizing center Bam Adebayo as a trade component, at least one influential member of the organization has shot down the notion." All Durant trade talks have seemingly stalled out for now. If the Heat were truly willing to move Adebayo, it could be the type of development that could spark some trade momentum once again.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have re-signed power forward/center Nathan Knight to a two-year deal. The 24-year-old played in 37 games for the T-Wolves last year and averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while seeing 7.2 minutes per contest. Knight broke into the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks in 2020-21 after going undrafted out of William & Mary. He received a number of accolades during his time at William & Mary, including the Lou Henson Award, given to the top mid-major player in Division I.

Restricted free agent point guard Collin Sexton has been offered a multi-year deal by the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the deal is not as lucrative as Sexton was hoping for. Fedor stated on the Wine & Gold Talk podcast that the offer was in the ballpark of three years and $40 million. He said, "It's way less than what Collin initially wanted. I don't know that it's the kind of deal that Collin and his camp would be willing to take." The market for Sexton right now doesn't appear to be significant, but with this news breaking, we may wind up seeing some other teams take a shot at him.

Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins (finger) dealt with a sprained right ring finger during the final months of the 2021-22 season. He missed some time with the injury, but eventually played through it. On Saturday, while Collins was playing in the Drew League, the finger in question appeared to be severely swollen as seen in a viral photo that took the Twitterverse by storm. Collins put up 16 points and 12 rebounds in the game, so the ailment doesn't seem to be hampering him significantly. There's still plenty of time for him to fully heal prior to the 2022-23 season, so fantasy managers shouldn't consider the viral photo to be of any concern for now.

Atlanta Hawks point guard Sharife Cooper has signed his two-way qualifying offer to remain with the team for the 2022-23 season. The 21-year-old was selected 48th overall by the franchise in the 2021 NBA draft. He played in just 13 games for the Hawks last year, logging just 39 minutes on the court. However, he was extremely productive while playing with the team's G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, last season. Over 22 regular season games with the Skyhawks, he averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 assists per contest.

Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. had a career-best season in 2021-22. He played nearly 35 minutes per game and averaged 18.3 points, 3.0 three-pointers and 1.7 steals per contest. He shot 41.4% from the field, 38.3% from three-point range and 85.3% from the line while committing just 1.0 turnovers per game. According to Raptors beat writer Eric Koreen, Trent could come off the bench in 2022-23. Koreen projects for the team to go with a starting lineup of Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Precious Achiuwa. If Trent indeed winds up coming off the bench, he'd likely see his minutes drop to something closer to 30 minutes per game. His fantasy value would take a bit of a hit but he should remain a solid source of three-pointers and steals regardless.

The Orlando Magic have re-signed forward Admiral Schofield to a two-way deal. The 25-year-old appeared in 38 games for the team last year and averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 41.9% from the field. Schofield was a second round pick in the 2019 NBA draft after he spent four years at the University of Tennessee. The Magic suddenly have a crowded roster with a lot of young talent. Schofield would need at least a few injuries to the team's frontcourt in order to have an opportunity to crack the rotation next year.