Brooklyn Nets forward Keita Bates-Diop (shin) will be out for the rest of the year, the team has announced. He has undergone a procedure to address a stress fracture in his right tibia and will need to recover for a month before resuming on-court activities. The Nets finish their regular-season schedule on April 14 against Philadelphia. Bates-Diop has averaged only a handful of minutes across 14 appearances with the Nets since being acquired from Phoenix in February. He missed a second straight game on Wednesday versus Washington.

Well, it finally happened. For the first time in 11 years, Damian Lillard is no longer a Trailblazer.On Wednesday, the nearly three-month saga that held NBA news hostage all summer came to an abrupt halt after Lillard was astonishingly acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a blockbuster three-team deal that included the Phoenix Suns, nine total players, one first-round pick, and one pick swap.Here is the full breakdown of the trade and my analysis of how it will affect the NBA in 2023-2024 and fantasy basketball. 

The Trade

The Bucks receive - Damian LillardThe Blazers receive - Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Bucks' 2029 first-round pick, Bucks' pick swapThe Suns receive - Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson, ... [More]

Free-agent forward Keita Bates-Diop agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract with the Suns. The 27-year-old averaged 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and shot 39.4% from deep in 67 games in San Antonio last season. However, he was more productive when he got a chance to start. But Bates-Diop will have plenty of competition for minutes in Phoenix, so he likely won't see the floor much, meaning his fantasy appeal can't get much lower.

The Phoenix Suns are tracking Keita Bates-Diop and could make a move for him when free agency opens. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM has said that the 27-year-old is a "potential target" for the team. Bates-Diop is coming off a two-year deal signed with the Spurs that paid him $3.6 million in total. He enjoyed a solid season on a rebuilding team in 2022-23, averaging a career-high 9.7 points with 47 starts. The Suns are loaded with talent and are looking to fill the bench with players coming in on minimal salaries, so Bates-Diop likely won't get a large role if he indeed ends up moving to Arizona.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop poured in a season-high on Thursday as the team grabbed a two-point victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. This game was a huge tank fest, but the 27-year-old at least made the most of it by collecting 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal on 7-for-11 shooting. He also added 2-for-4 from deep and 9-for-10 from the line. The Spurs have a lot of players that could serve as streaming options, but fantasy managers would have to keep tabs on everyone since the roster is just a turnstile due to injuries and rest days.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop (Achilles) is unlikely to play against the Atlanta Hawks. The Spurs are in trouble, as Jeremy Sochan (knee) is out, while Zach Collins (biceps) and Doug McDermott (hip) are questionable. As a result, Dominick Barlow could see plenty of minutes at the four on Sunday. However, the 19-year-old has averaged only 3.2 points during the 2022-23 campaign, so even the most desperate of fantasy managers will have a hard time relying on him for production.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop (foot) is sidelined on Saturday versus Miami. Bates-Diop has averaged 13.1 points and shooting an impressive 47.6% from deep in eight starts this season, getting some additional work with Jeremy Sochan (quadriceps) out of the lineup. However, with both men unavailable, the door is open Doug McDermott, who had 12 points versus the Rockets on Thursday, to continue to benefit, keeping him classified as a viable streaming option in deeper formats.

San Antonio Spurs power forward Keita Bates-Diop (foot) will miss Thursday's contest against the Rockets. He is listed out with a left mid-foot sprain and is forced to take a breather in the middle of a really good spell. Bates-Diop was promoted to the starting lineup last week and he went on to have three consecutive games with double-figure scoring before getting hurt. He's been averaging 7.9 points a night for the whole season with 2.9 rebounds in 18.1 minutes. Both Doug McDermott (ankle) and Josh Richardson (ankle) appear on track to return Thursday and should pick up most of Diop's minutes.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop (ankle) won't suit up on Saturday against the Lakers. The 26-year-old seemingly sprained his left ankle on Friday in the first of back-to-back meetings with Los Angeles, ending his night after only three minutes on the court. Bates-Diop has averaged only 7.4 points, although he's doubled that in his five starts this season. Without him in the lineup, Zach Collins, who logged 21 minutes and amassed seven boards, four points, one steal, and one block on Friday, may continue to benefit.

San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Joshua Primo (illness) and power forward Keita Bates-Diop (back) have been listed as doubtful to play in Friday's game vs. Utah. Primo has already been sidelined for one outing due to the illness, with Tre Jones and Josh Richardson absorbing his minutes. Bates-Diop is on track to miss a third straight contest, with Zach Collins and Joe Wieskamp moving up the depth chart in his place. Primo, the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has shown flashes of being an exciting fantasy asset in the years to come despite averaging just 5.0 PPG. The next best shot that either he or Bates-Diop will have at returning to action comes Saturday against the Pacers.

San Antonio Spurs small forward Keita Bates-Diop is replacing Dejounte Murray in the starting five on Sunday against Detroit. The 25-year-old produced a huge 30-point game against LeBron James and the Lakers just a few nights ago, and it appears that head coach Gregg Popovich is rewarding him for it. Bates-Diop had done very little this season prior to Thursday's explosion, so the chances of him going off again don't look great. But the Pistons are a depleted team, and there could be some nice minutes available for the fourth-year player, which might help him have another solid outing.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop had the game of his life on Thursday against the Lakers, helping his team to a 138-110 win with a career-high 30 points on perfect 11-for-11 shooting. He finished 3-for-3 from downtown and 5-for-7 at the foul line, adding seven rebounds and one steal to his tally in 27 minutes off the bench. The 25-year-old entered the action having scored just 88 points for the season, so this was some effort from him. He cracked the 20-minute mark for only the fourth time this season, so Bates-Diop isn't a factor in fantasy hoops, but it's a great story he can someday tell his grandkids.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop (back) has been downgraded to out for Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Normally, this won't be that significant of news, but Jakob Poeltl remains out as well. That means, Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks, and Doug McDermott will be asked to pick up the slack. Young has the most upside out of the three and could have more streaming appeal without Bates-Diop available against the Kings.

San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop has agreed to a new two-year deal. The terms of the contract were undisclosed, but it was apparently enough to retain his services after the franchise extended a qualifying offer to him back in July. The 25-year-old former Ohio State Buckeye appeared in only 30 professional contests last season, averaging 2.6 minutes and 1.6 rebounds throughout 8.2 minutes. Nonetheless, he probably won't see much action during the 2021-22 campaign, so it's best if he were left off fantasy rosters altogether, regardless of format or league size.

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have picked up guard Jordan McRae in a trade with Washington that became official Thursday night.In exchange, the Nuggets sent recently acquired guard Shabazz Napier to the Wizards.McRae averaged 12.9 points and 2.8 assists in 29 games for the Wizards this season. The 28-year-old out of Tennessee had surgery on his right ring finger in October. He's recently been dealing with a twisted left ankle.The 6-foot-5 McRae joins a Nuggets team that's off to a 36-16 start and currently sits in third place in the Western Conference. He provides back-court depth behind Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Gary Harris and Monte Morris. McRae has appeared in 115 games over four years with Washington, Cleveland and Phoenix. He was signed by the Wizards on a two-way deal on Sept. 10, 2018, before it was converted to a regular contract on April 9, 2019."Jordan was a great success story for our developmental program, with his hard work and dedication resulting in him earning a full-time... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have picked up guard Jordan McRae in a trade with Washington, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.In exchange, the Nuggets sent recently acquired guard Shabazz Napier to the Wizards, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been announced.McRae averaged 12.9 points and 2.8 assists in 29 games for the Wizards this season. The 28-year-old out of Tennessee had surgery on his right ring finger in October. He's recently been dealing with a twisted left ankle.McRae joins a Nuggets team that's off to a 36-16 start and currently sits in third place in the Western Conference. He provides back-court depth behind Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Gary Harris and Monte Morris. Napier didn't play for the Nuggets after being picked up late Tuesday as part of a four-team trade involving Minnesota, Houston, Atlanta and Denver. In that deal, the Nuggets got Napier, Keita Bates-Diop and Noah Vonleh from the Timberwolves, along with Gerald Green and a 2020 first-round pick from the Rockets. The Nuggets sent Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt to Minnesota.___AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Robert Covington is going to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela is headed to the Atlanta Hawks as the headline moves in a complicated four-team trade that was approved by the NBA late Wednesday night.All told, it included 12 players and three draft picks.The Rockets got Covington and Jordan Bell from Minnesota, plus Golden State’s 2024 second-round pick from the Hawks. Atlanta got two centers, Capela and Nenê from Houston. Denver got Gerald Green from Houston along with the Rockets' 2020 first-round pick. The Nuggets also landed Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier and Noah Vonleh from Minnesota.Minnesota got Brooklyn's 2020 first-round pick and Evan Turner from Atlanta, plus Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Juancho Hernangomez from Denver. Covington told Houston television station KRIV Fox 26 upon his arrival at the airport Wednesday that he was looking forward to a new opportunity.“It’s all over the place right now,” Covington said when asked about his emotions. “Just kind of getting... [More]

Robert Covington is going to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela is headed to the Atlanta Hawks as the headline moves in a complicated four-team trade that was approved by the NBA late Wednesday night.All told, it included 12 players and three draft picks.The Rockets got Covington and Jordan Bell from Minnesota, plus Golden State’s 2024 second-round pick from the Hawks. Atlanta got two centers, Capela and Nenê from Houston. Denver got Gerald Green from Houston along with the Rockets' 2020 first-round pick. The Nuggets also landed Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier and Noah Vonleh from Minnesota.Minnesota got Brooklyn's 2020 first-round pick and Evan Turner from Atlanta, plus Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Juancho Hernangomez from Denver. Covington told Houston television station KRIV Fox 26 upon his arrival at the airport Wednesday that he was looking forward to a new opportunity.“It’s all over the place right now,” Covington said when asked about his emotions. “Just kind of getting... [More]

Robert Covington is going to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela is going to the Atlanta Hawks as the headline moves in a complicated trade that was struck early Wednesday involving four teams, 12 players and at least three draft picks, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.Among the key components, according to the people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade has not received league approval: Covington and Jordan Bell will join the Rockets from Minnesota, Capela and Nene are leaving the Rockets for the Hawks, the Timberwolves added soon-to-be restricted free agents Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez from Denver and the Nuggets got Shabazz Napier from Minnesota plus a first-round pick from Houston.ESPN and The Athletic first reported the trade.Covington told Houston television station KRIV Fox 26 upon his arrival at the airport Wednesday that he was looking forward to a new opportunity.“It’s all over the place right now,” Covington... [More]

Robert Covington is going to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela is going to the Atlanta Hawks as the headline moves in a complicated trade that was struck early Wednesday involving four teams, 12 players and at least three draft picks, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.Among the key components, according to the people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade has not received league approval: Covington and Jordan Bell will join the Rockets from Minnesota, Capela and Nene are leaving the Rockets for the Hawks, the Timberwolves added soon-to-be restricted free agents Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez from Denver and the Nuggets got Shabazz Napier from Minnesota plus a first-round pick from Houston.ESPN and The Athletic first reported the trade.Covington told Houston television station KRIV Fox 26 upon his arrival at the airport Wednesday that he was looking forward to a new opportunity.“It’s all over the place right now,” Covington... [More]