Unsurprisingly, Ayton has decided to join the Lakers after agreeing with the Trail Blazers on a contract buyout. Los Angeles had a clear need at the center position, and they’ll look to the first overall pick in the 2018 draft to fill it. While he has averaged a double-double in his first seven seasons, Ayton’s last two years in Portland were underwhelming. Limited to 40 games last year due to injury, he averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 three-pointer in 30.2 minutes. Ayton is not the uber-athletic center who tends to flourish playing alongside Luka Doncic, but he’ll play starter’s minutes for a hopeful contender. Being in a lineup with Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves will limit Ayton’s fantasy ceiling, but providing top-100 per-game value should not be an issue.

The Grizzlies announced on Tuesday that Jackson — who agreed earlier this week to a five-year, $240 million extension — injured his toe during a live basketball run on Monday. The team also announced that he’ll need to undergo a procedure to address the issue, but no information was provided regarding the severity of the injury. While Jackson is expected to make a full recovery, a timeline for return will not be announced until after the procedure. He’s the second rotation big to require a procedure this summer, with Zach Edey expected to miss at least four months after undergoing left ankle surgery. If Edey or Jackson is not ready to begin the regular season, Santi Aldama’s fantasy ceiling will be raised.

The Bucks chose to waive and stretch Lillard, who is likely to miss all of next season as he recovers from an Achilles tear. Milwaukee is able to stretch the $113 million still owed to Lillard over five seasons. This was a necessary move for the team to have the requisite space to sign free agent center Myles Turner. The Bucks had to get creative to give their roster an immediate upgrade. Lillard’s free-agent market will be a bit of a mystery given the fact that he’s unlikely to play much — if at all — this season. It’s possible we’ve seen the last of him as a major fantasy option.

Whoa. The deal includes a fourth year player option and 15 percent trade kicker, according to Charania. The Bucks were able to pull off a big move here luring the 29-year-old center from the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers. Turner certainly represents an upgrade for the Bucks, who just lost Brook Lopez to the Clippers on the first day of free agency. With Damian Lillard likely sidelined for all of next year, Turner’s situation from a fantasy perspective is also an upgrade.

Gilgeous-Alexander now has the highest annual salary in NBA history. After a season in which SGA won the scoring title, took home regular season MVP honors, led the Thunder to the championship and was awarded NBA Finals MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander earned a well-timed raise. Coming off one of the best seasons for a guard in league history, SGA will of course be one of the first names off the board in fantasy drafts next year.

Johnson has been a popular trade target for some time due to his two-way ability on the wing. Denver was able to make Brooklyn an offer it could not refuse, upgrading their wing rotation. While their scoring averages were similar, Johnson is also a capable three-point shooter and provides more value defensively. Also, the trade frees up additional cap space for the Nuggets as they look to challenge Oklahoma City for Western Conference supremacy. Johnson’s fantasy value may take a slight hit playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but not much, since he’ll be a fixture in Denver’s starting lineup.

Due to the amount of money locked into their most important players, the Nuggets had limited options to improve their roster. One of those options was to trade Porter, and they’ve reportedly done so. Having struggled with injuries early in his career, MPJ has played 77 and 81 games in his last two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 three-pointers per game, shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 76.8 percent from the foul line. While Porter is no longer on a team with immediate championship ambitions, he moves to a spot where there’s the chance to provide added fantasy value. Porter’s ADP should increase substantially in the fall.

The deal includes a player option in the final year of the deal in 2029-30, according to Charania. The Grizzlies have chosen to prioritize keeping Jackson this offseason by moving Desmond Bane to the Magic. That helped the club afford the massive new deal for the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. Memphis wasted no time in locking up the franchise cornerstone with a new deal right as free agency opened up.

Williams suffered a torn ligament in his right (shooting) wrist late in the regular season. That injury makes his performances during Oklahoma City’s run to the NBA title more impressive. The good news is that, according to Thunder lead executive Sam Presti, Williams is expected to be a full go when the 2025-26 season begins. JDub was a top-25 fantasy player last season, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP by a round in 12-team formats. At worst, he should be a third-round pick in 12-team leagues next fall.