Jamal Crawford signs with Portland – Crawford has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal to join the Trail Blazers. Portland needed a shooter after losing Brandon Roy to retirement, and Crawford was the best one left on the free-agent market. He'll slot in as the team's sixth man off the bench, backing up Raymond Felton and Wesley Matthews at the guard spots. Crawford excels in the sixth man role, in which he averaged 14.2 points and 1.6 three-pointers a game last season. He seems to be a good fit with Portland, and fantasy owners should target him in the later rounds of drafts as a decent third or fourth guard.
Jose Calderon probably to start for Toronto – Raptors coach Dwane Casey said Calderon will probably be the team's starting point guard this season. Calderon looks to have won the starting nod over Jarryd Bayless and will lead a Raptors' team that does have some weapons on offensive. When healthy and given the chance to play, Calderon has been a productive fantasy player. Although he has averaged only 27.7 minutes per game for his career, he has been able to post career averages of 9.8 points, 7.0 assists and 0.9 steals a game. If he can stay healthy and consistently get 30 to 35 minutes a night, he could be a very valuable fantasy option. If he plays the types of minutes he has traditionally seen over his career, he'll still be a viable fantasy option but one that you can wait to grab in the later rounds.
Richard Jefferson may stay with San Antonio – The Spurs may keep Jefferson instead of using the amnesty clause to waive him. It was widely expected they would waive him because of the $30 million he is owed over the next three years, but they failed to find a viable option in free agency to replace him. Jefferson has been on a steady decline over the last three seasons, bottoming out last season with averages of 11.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. One improvement he did make last season is he averaged a career-high 1.7 three-pointers a game by converting his threes at the fifth-best rate in the league (44 percent). If he does stay on as a member of the Spurs, his fantasy value will likely be limited.
Hornets bring back Carl Landry – The Hornets have agreed to a contract with Landry to keep him in New Orleans. With the Hornets acquiring Chris Kaman from the Clippers, Landry could either start at power forward over Emeka Okafor or Kaman, or he could provide depth at the four off of the bench. Landry has been solid over his career but not especially spectacular as a fantasy option. He averaged 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds last season to go along with a 50.2 field goal percentage. If he does start and gets significant minutes, look for him to improve on those numbers and become a valuable fantasy option worthy of taking in the later rounds of drafts.
Nets use amnesty clause on Travis Outlaw – The Nets have waived Outlaw using the amnesty clause. This was not a huge surprise as he is owed $28 million over the next four years. Some team looking to get him on the cheap should grab Outlaw in the amnesty auction process. The only fantasy value he really has is his ability to shoot from behind the arc, as he has averaged 0.9 three-pointers or more in each of the last three seasons. He excelled playing a limited role off the bench as a Trail Blazer, but he seemed to become complacent and reserved on the court after signing his big free-agent contract with the Nets last season.
Reggie Williams out six-to-eight weeks – Williams has a torn meniscus and won't be on the court to start the season with his new team. Considering the condensed season, this is a significant blow to his fantasy value. He was going to be one of the Bobcats better shooters, as he has averaged 1.3 three-pointers in only 23.2 minutes per game over his career. When he does return, he could be a valuable late season fantasy addition for owners in need of a dynamic offensive player.