Indiana Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell (hamstring) played only eight minutes in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He exited the contest in the second quarter due to a sore left hamstring. McConnell was off to a great start in the game, posting seven points, two rebounds, three assists, and one steal. The Pacers have lost Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) for the season, so they are likely to exercise extreme caution with their remaining point guards during the preseason. It wouldn't be surprising if McConnell sits out the rest of the preseason schedule to ensure he's fully ready for the regular-season opener. McConnell will continue to come off the bench for the Pacers in 2025-26, but he may see an increase in usage without Haliburton.

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (calf) is available for Wednesday's preseason opener against the Toronto Raptors, Frankie Cartoscelli of KHTK Sactown Sports 1140 reports. Monk missed the end of the 2024-25 regular season with a calf injury but seems to be back at 100 percent. The team announced that all players are available for Wednesday's contest. After dropping to the second unit for the final stretch of last season, Monk will compete to regain his starting position during the preseason. He faces strong competition from Dennis Schroder, who was picked up from the Detroit Pistons in July via a sign-and-trade deal.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (Achilles) went through Tuesday's practice, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. According to Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Smart "did most of practice, including some live play." Smart has been dealing with Achilles tendinopathy during training camp and wasn't available for the team's first two preseason games. The Lakers won't be back in action until Sunday, so we might see Smart in a Lakers uniform for the first time this week. He seems to be a good fit for the team; however, Smart will be coming off the bench this season, which will negatively affect his fantasy value.

New York Knicks guard/forward Josh Hart (back) sat out Tuesday's practice and is considered day-to-day, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports. New York's utility man has been battling back spasms after hurting himself in a preseason contest last Thursday. It appears like a minor issue, but Hart might still miss some additional preseason action because of it. The situation isn't ideal for Hart, as some reports suggest that he's facing a battle for his spot in the starting unit. Mitchell Robinson is seen as a potential fifth starter for the Knicks on opening night.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland (toe) had a light individual workout on Tuesday after a shootaround, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Garland continues to recover from an offseason toe injury, and it's unclear when he will be available for action. But it's a positive sign that he can do some on-court work. In Garland's absence, the Cavaliers are likely to utilize Lonzo Ball as their starting point guard. However, Ball recently stated that he doesn't expect to play in back-to-back games at the start of the season, which limits his fantasy potential.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (glute) is not expected to play during preseason, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. "I'm told LeBron James has started to ramp up here," Charania said Tuesday. "He's doing a little bit on the court. But I'm told the expectation is still he's likely gonna be out for the preseason, the goal being to be ready for opening night on October 21 against the Golden State Warriors. He's doing more and more on the court, starting to do more basketball activities, but we'll see if he's ready to get a game in before the regular season." The veteran superstar arrived at training camp with a nerve irritation in the glute. With the regular-season opener two weeks away, James still has some good recovery time. However, he might be rusty at the start of the campaign if he doesn't get any preseason action under his belt.

Milwaukee Bucks forward/center Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to start the 2025-26 season returning to his starring role with the Bucks, but just a few months ago, a trade was discussed that could have landed him with the Knicks. Milwaukee had a wild offseason, opting to waive and stretch Damian Lillard (Achilles) and signing Myles Turner to a huge free agent deal. General Manager Jon Horst made those moves and then met with Giannis in Greece to discuss the team's plans and Giannis' part of them going forward. While the Bucks and Knicks never got traction on a potential deal, it is noteworthy that they were the one team that emerged as the main place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee. If the season goes south in Milwaukee, the two teams could revisit the discussions, but for now, Giannis will start his 13th season in the NBA with the Bucks, who will have a very different feel this year. The star is keeping his options open for the future, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, and his contentment in Milwaukee is sure to be a huge storyline this season.

Free agent guard/forward Dalano Banton signed with the Mavs on Tuesday and will likely be competing for a roster spot, although the exact nature of the deal was not announced. Over the last few years, Banton has played for the Raptors, Celtics, and most recently, the Trail Blazers. The 25-year-old has had a few huge games when asked to carry a larger workload, but usually plays a role in the supporting cast off the bench. Last year, he started the final seven games of the year for Portland, averaging 16 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 three-pointers. Banton could be an interesting DFS or streaming option if he gets expanded work, but he'll need to make the roster first and doesn't look positioned for a large enough role to be a season-long fantasy contributor.

Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams has said that he'll play on opening night, and coach Jordan Ott seems comfortable with the big man's progress. Ahead of the team's trip to China for two exhibition games against the Nets, Ott said, "He's out here working. In a good place... He's in all of our drills... Things could change, but he's still right on plan." Williams has been very productive when healthy, but has been severely limited by a variety of injury issues throughout his career. Last season, Williams averaged 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 26.6 minutes last year for Charlotte. The Suns are planning to rotate him with Nick Richards and No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach at center, but they're obviously playing it very cautiously with Williams' health leading up to the start of the season.

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (ankle) is "trending in the right direction," according to coach Jason Kidd. However, the big man was unable to practice on Sunday. He injured his ankle during the first practice of training camp and has been sidelined since then. Gafford inked an extension with the Mavs during the offseason after a career-best 2024-25 campaign. He posted a career-high 12.3 points with 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game but was limited to only 57 games due to injury. The Mavs are counting on him anchoring the middle of their lineup next to Anthony Davis this season, and the fact that he's trending in the right direction means he could be back in time for the regular-season opener on October 22nd. If he does miss time, Dereck Lively II would likely be the primary player to pick up extra work.

Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (shoulder) remained sidelined for Monday's scrimmage, Ben Anderson of KSL Sports reports. Kessler was also unavailable for practice over the weekend due to left shoulder soreness. Lauri Markkanen (wrist), Kyle Filipowski (back), Isaiah Collier (hamstring), and Georges Niang (foot) also remained sidelined on Monday. The Jazz are quite a bit banged up just a couple of weeks before the regular season starts. After he didn't reach an agreement with the team on a rookie-scale contract extension during the offseason, Kessler should be very determined to get healthy and perform well at the start of the campaign. The 24-year-old had a productive campaign in 2024-25 with averages of 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 30.0 minutes.

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (back) wasn't available for Monday's preseason matchup against the Denver Nuggets. According to TSN's Josh Lewenberg, Poeltl is dealing with back soreness. This doesn't sound like a serious issue, but Poeltl could miss some additional preseason action because of it. During the new campaign, Poeltl has a lot to live up to after enjoying a career year in 2024-25. He nearly averaged a double-double in 29.6 minutes per game, scoring 14.5 points and grabbing 9.6 rebounds. Following the productive season, the Austrian big man signed a four-year, $104 million contract extension.

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (hamstring) is considered day-to-day, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports. Duren sat out Monday's preseason clash against the Memphis Grizzlies due to hamstring soreness. Isaiah Stewart joined the starting unit and had a productive day at the office, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, and one block in 18 minutes. If Duren's injury starts lingering, Stewart's fantasy stock would significantly rise. However, there are still a couple of weeks to go until the regular season begins, giving Duren plenty of time to get healthy for opening night. The Pistons have their first game scheduled for Oct. 22 against the Chicago Bulls.

Denver Nuggets power forward Aaron Gordon sat out Monday's preseason game against the Toronto Raptors for maintenance purposes. According to Katy Winge of Altitude TV, Gordon still went through his usual intense game-speed warmup. This suggests that there is nothing specific bothering Gordon. However, it's not surprising to see the Nuggets being cautious with Gordon, considering he sat out 31 games last season due to various health issues. Peyton Watson took over Gordon's starting spot on Monday and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Players like Watson and Bruce Brown will be in line for more work whenever Gordon misses action this season.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Cole Anthony (face) was forced to exit Monday's preseason affair against the Miami Heat early. He suffered a chin laceration and needed stitches. Anthony was a victim of friendly fire, as teammate Bobby Portis accidentally hit him in the face with his elbow while grabbing a rebound. In the game, Anthony was limited to two points in seven minutes. He might miss some preseason action due to the injury, but fantasy managers shouldn't worry about Anthony's availability for the start of the regular season. The Bucks plan to use Kevin Porter Jr. as their starting point guard, leaving Anthony in a reserve role. However, the 25-year-old could still provide fantasy value. He has averaged 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in a bench role during his career.

Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (hamstring) is close to being available for the team, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports. Green is dealing with a left hamstring strain and didn't play in Friday's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns now face a couple of contests against the Brooklyn Nets in China this week before finishing their preseason schedule with a rematch against the Lakers on Oct. 14. After spending his first four NBA campaigns with the Houston Rockets, Green has a fresh start in Phoenix. He'll be expected to lead the offense alongside Devin Booker.

Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (groin) underwent testicular surgery on Monday and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks. It's another tough break for the 20-year-old rookie, who already missed the entire 2024-25 campaign with a torn ACL. Topic was expected to compete for backup minutes behind star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but this latest setback will delay his NBA debut. In his absence, guards Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace should log additional minutes early in the season.

According to Joey Linn of SI.com, Los Angeles Clippers guardBogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) is expected to suit up for Thursday's preseason opener versus the Guangzhou Loong Lions. On Saturday, Bogdanovic competed in five-on-five scrimmages with no restrictions. The 33-year-old has spent several weeks recovering from a hamstring injury that occurred during EuroBasket in August. Barring any setbacks, it appears he will also be available for opening night on October 22nd versus the Utah Jazz.

Joey Linn of SI.com reports that Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal (knee) participated in a team scrimmage on Monday. Beal won't be on the floor for Thursday's preseason opener. However, Linn states that the 32-year-old veteran guard expects to be ready to start the regular season. Beal's fantasy value has tumbled in recent seasons as he hasn't played in over 60 contests in six straight campaigns. If he can stay healthy, it will be worth watching how he integrates into the Clippers' rotation as the season unfolds.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has announced that he will make "The Second Decision" on Tuesday, October 7, at 12 p.m. Eastern time. Entering his 23rd NBA season, the 40-year-old continues to defy age while maintaining elite production, earning All-NBA Second Team honors last year with averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. A 21-time All-Star, four-time champion, and four-time MVP, James' longevity and dominance remain unmatched in NBA history. While the nature of his upcoming announcement is unclear, it has already sparked speculation about his future and potential plans beyond Los Angeles. Fantasy managers should continue to view LeBron as a steady, high-floor option capable of stuffing the stat sheet every night.