Player Notes NBA

Philadelphia 76ers president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said that he does not expect forward Ben Simmons to be limited this season, reports 94WIP's Jon Johnson.

What It Means:

Simmons said out all of last season after suffering a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot back in late September. The former number-one overall pick recently said that he's "feeling great" while Colangelo adds that he's been "dominating the gym" in 5-on-5 drills. It was a possibility that Simmons would see a restriction similar to the one we saw for Joel Embiid to begin last season, but it's been nearly a full year now since Simmons' season-ending injury. He's poised to be the team's primary creator, whether he's labeled a point guard or not.

Now 21 years old, Simmons, in his one year at LSU, averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists across 34.9 minutes a game. He'll be a welcome sight for 76ers fans, who saw their team 23rd in our power rankings a year ago.

Source: Jon Johnson, 94WIP

Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris is expected to undergo sports hernia surgery on Friday, according to the Washington Post's Candace Buckner.

What It Means:

Morris likely developed the injury late in the summer after going through his offseason program, but due to the birth of his daughter and a trial for felony assault charges, Morris delayed the surgery until this week. Morris' timetable is unknown, but his recovery will probably keep him out of training camp and maybe even prevent him from getting any playing time in the preseason.

In 2017, Morris averaged 14.0 points and a career-high 6.5 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game. His -1.6 nERD was a big improvement from the previous season yet ranked him just 206th of 275 forwards in our NBA database.

Source: Candace Buckner, Washington Post

Free agent center Andrew Bogut has agreed to a one-year deal $2.3 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, per Shams Charania of The Vertical.

What It Means:

The one-year deal keeps the Lakers flexible for the 2018 offseason when LeBron James and Paul George will be available. Bogut will assumingly be Brook Lopez's backup in the upcoming season if he stays healthy. The 32-year-old big man played only 27 games between the Dallas MAvericks and Cleveland Cavaliers last season.

Bogut averaged 2.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.9 blocks in 21.6 minutes per game last season.

Source: Shams Charania, The Vertical

Guard Brandon Rush's agent announced that his client has signed a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

What It Means:

There were no numbers released in the tweet, but it's likely for one year and close to the veteran minimum. He will serve as wing depth behind Khris Middleton and Tony Snell, and will only have fantasy relevance if one or both of those guys miss time.

Rush posted averages of 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists over 21.9 minutes per game. He owned a -3.7 nERD, which ranked him 440th in the NBA in 2016-17'.

Source: Priority Sports

Denver Nuggets have re-signed forward/center Mason Plumlee to a three-year, $41 million deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

What It Means:

The Nuggets fully intended to bring back Plumlee after trading a first-round pick and Jusuf Nurkic for him at the deadline this year, but many are surprised at the dollar amount. After acquiring Paul Millsap in free agency, Plumlee will be limited to a backup role, seeing most of his minutes behind Nikola Jokic.

Plumlee averaged 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 23.4 minutes per game while in a Nuggets uniform last season.

Source: Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN

Free agent guard/forward Tony Allen is finalizing a one-year deal to join the New Orleans Pelicans, per Shams Charania ot The Vertical.

What It Means:

With the Pelicans in desperate need for wings, due to injuries, Allen may be the team's starting forward on opening day. A defensive specialist, the 35-year-old will likely play around 25 minutes per game in 2017-18.

Allen averaged 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 27.0 minutes per game for the Memphis Grizzlies last season.

Source: Shams Charania, The Vertical

The Chicago Bulls are finalizing a deal to receive a second-round draft pick along with forward Quincy Pondexter from the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.

What It Means:

With the Bulls tanking and the Pelicans looking to free up their roster and some cap room, the deal is a win-win for both sides. Pondexter last saw NBA action in April of 2015 as he has missed the last two seasons with knee injuries. He is scheduled to make 3.8 million in 2017-18, the last year of a 4-year contract he signed with the Pels in 2014.

Pondexter has career averages of 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 18.1 minutes per game during his five-year NBA career.

Source: Rotoworld.com

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Frank Jackson broke his right foot and will undergo surgery on Friday.

What It Means:

Jackson had a stress fracture in his right foot earlier this year and had surgery in May. The rookie will now undergo his second surgery in less than four months and will miss most, if not all of training camp, and likely a good portion of the first month or two of the season.

Jackson averaged 10.9 points, 25 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 24.9 minutes per game in his one-and-only college season with the Duke Blue Devils in 2016-17. He was selected with the first pick of the second round (31 overall) in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Source: Rotoworld.com

Sacramento Kings power forward Zach Randolph was charged with misdemeanor possession and misdemeanor resisting arrest after an August 9th arrest in Los Angeles.

What It Means:

Randolph was initially arrested for felony possession of marijuana with intent to sell, but prosecutors have reduced the charges down to the two misdemeanors. If convicted, Randolph could face a maximum of one year in prison but he's unlikely to see a jail cell with it being his first offense. It's more likely that Z-Bo is put on probation and ordered to do some type of community service. That's not the look the front office wanted the veteran to bring to a rebuilding Kings team. If Randolph faces any type of suspension for his actions, Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley-Stein should see an increase in minutes to start the season.

Randolph signed a 2-year deal worth $24 million this summer. At 36 years old, he brings his 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to a team that finished 25th in our power rankings a year ago.

Source: TMZ Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have been fined $500,000 for violating the NBA's anti-tampering rules, per The Vertical's Shams Charania.

What It Means:

According to the NBA's statement on the matter, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka expressed his interest in the (then) Indiana Pacers' Paul George to George's agent while he was still under contract with Indiana. It didn't help that Magic Johnson, the team's new President of Basketball Operations, also hinted toward a pursuit of George in a TV appearance back in April. However, ESPN's Bobby Marks says that the investigation did not reveal that there was any agreement between George and the Lakers that would lead to George signing with the team in 2018.

The $500,000 penalty is the 2nd-largest tampering fine in league history and is in the top-15 all-time in NBA history.

Source: Shams Charania, The Vertical