2019-20 NBA Restart: Player Tracker (Fantasy Basketball)

2019-20 NBA Restart: Player Tracker (Fantasy Basketball)

After a lengthy hiatus, the NBA will return July 30 for a final sprint to the playoffs in Orlando.

At FantasyPros, we want to keep you up to date on the latest from around the NBA, so we’ll track the major absences and signings all the way until opening tip.

For a detailed look at the NBA Restart, including schedules, notable matchups, and key storylines, check out: NBA 2019-20 Season Restart Guide.

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Players Who Will Not Play in Orlando

Michael Beasley (F – BKN): The recently-signed Beasley will not play in Orlando, leaving an available roster spot.

Taurean Prince (F – BKN)
Prince is the latest Net to test positive for COVID-19 and will miss the rest of the season. With roster depth dwindling, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Rodions Kurucs will pick up the slack at power forward.

Spencer Dinwiddie (G – BKN)
With Dinwiddie out, Caris LeVert should assume a massive usage rate as the best available option in the backcourt. Newly signed Tyler Johnson will likely get the starting nod at point guard, while Garrett Temple and Chris Chiozza figure to see an uptick in minutes as well.

Bradley Beal (G – WAS)
Whatever playoff hopes exist in Washington have died with Beal out of the picture. Troy Brown, Shabazz Napier, and Rui Hachimura should all benefit in his absence.

Victor Oladipo (G – IND)
UPDATE: As of July 13, there is a strong belief that Oladipo will play in some capacity during the restart. The situation is still fluid, but he has not been ruled out completely, as previously reported.

Working his way back from a devastating knee injury suffered in 2018-19, Oladipo returned with Indiana this season and appeared in just 13 games. He progressed well in his time back, but he decided the risk outweighed the reward. Though the Pacers have looked like a well-oiled machine in his absence this season, he will be missed as a star and closer — two things lacking for an otherwise solid squad. Expect Aaron Holiday to start at SG, where he could be a nice DFS value play.

LaMarcus Aldridge (F/C – SA)
Aldridge underwent surgery in June for a rotator cuff injury that kept him sidelined for most of the season after the All-Star break. DeMar DeRozan should be the focal point of San Antonio’s offensive gameplan for the remainder of the season, while Trey Lyles and Rudy Gay could make cheap DFS dart-throws.

Kelly Oubre Jr. (F – PHO)
UPDATE: In a recent statement from Suns GM James Jones, he didn’t rule out that Oubre Jr. could play in Orlando at some point. The forward is still far from a lock to play at all, but this new information goes against the previous report from Shams Charania that Oubre Jr. wouldn’t be available at all.

Oubre Jr. tore his meniscus back in February, and his subsequent successful surgery suggested he’d be available in Orlando. Instead, he’ll continue rehabbing.

In his stead, Mikal Bridges should step into a starting role and make an immediate impact. Over the final seven games before the break (all starts), Bridges averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal in nearly 40 minutes per contest.

Bojan Bogdanovic (F – UTA)
Bogdanovic underwent wrist surgery in May and will be forced to sit out for the remainder of the season. The Jazz will sorely miss his 20.2 points and 41.4 percent shooting. Joe Ingles should see a bump in minutes and production, while Donovan Mitchell could be asked to pick up some of the slack on offense.

DeMarcus Cousins (C – FA)
Boogie is currently a free agent who has drawn the interest of multiple teams. Coming off a torn ACL suffered last offseason, he’s reportedly playing it safe and opting out of action in Orlando.

Kyrie Irving (G – BKN) / Kevin Durant (F – BKN)
These absences aren’t surprising, given the nature of Irving’s nagging shoulder and Durant’s torn Achilles suffered in the 2018-19 NBA Finals.

John Wall (G – WAS)
Wall has said that he’s at full health, but there’s no reason to chance re-injury for an extremely small chance at earning a playoff bid. He was already expected to miss the remainder of the season.

DeAndre Jordan (C – BKN)
Jordan contracted COVID-19, and he’s already withdrawn from play in Orlando. Though listed as the Nets’ backup center, he’s played strong minutes for Brooklyn and been a proverbial thorn in the side of Jarrett Allen managers this season. With Jordan out of action, the already thin frontcourt should be dominated by Allen, who averaged 10.6 points and 1.3 blocks to go with a career-best 9.5 rebounds per game before the season paused.

Wilson Chandler (F – BKN)
Chandler is another Net who has opted out of playing in the restart. He hasn’t received a positive test for COVID-19, but he’s taken himself out for the rest of the season to stay with family. Chandler wasn’t much of a fantasy force this season, but his absence should push Taurean Prince back into the starting lineup. Prince had sneaky tournament value in DFS contests throughout the 2019-20 season when he started.

Dāvis Bertāns (F – WAS)
Used sparingly in three years with San Antonio, Bertāns spread his wings in 2019 with the Wizards. He quickly established himself as one of the league’s premier long-range threats (3.7 threes per game on 42.4% shooting) and should be in line for the biggest payday of his career next offseason.

With so much on the line, Bertāns has excused himself from further NBA activities this season as a precautionary measure. Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant should comfortably lead Washington’s patchwork group of big men.

Avery Bradley (G – LAL)
Bradley has decided not to play for the rest of the season due to health concerns for his son, Liam, who has struggled with respiratory illnesses in the past.

With Bradley gone, the Lakers’ depth takes another hit. LeBron James and Co. will miss one of its better defenders. The Lakers signed J.R. Smith to fill in, so there’s no telling who will take over Bradley’s vacated minutes between Smith, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Trevor Ariza (F – POR)
Ariza will forgo the rest of the season in order to spend time with his 12-year-old son amidst a custody dispute. Ariza played solid minutes for Portland since arriving in January, but the loss opens up a big opportunity for Carmelo Anthony.

Willie Cauley-Stein (C – DAL)
WCS played a sizable role in the Warriors’ rotation before heading to Dallas, where he has been nothing but a depth piece behind Dwight Powell and Boban Marjanovic. He’s chosen not to play in Orlando due to the upcoming birth of his daughter, and the team signed Trey Burke to fill out the roster.

Thabo Sefolosha (F – HOU)
He played 10.6 minutes per game in 41 appearances for Houston this season, and most of his playing time should be absorbed by the newly signed Luc Mbah a Moute.

Players Who Have Left the Bubble

Patrick Beverley (G – LAC)
Beverley left the bubble to attend to an emergency family matter, leaving a single, cryptic tweet before his departure. Reggie Jackson should start at point guard for as long as Beverley is out.

Montrezl Harrell (F/C – LAC)
Harrell’s absence opens up additional opportunities for Ivica Zubac and/or Joakim Noah, though the team will run even more through the tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George without Harrell in the fold.

Zion Williamson (F – NO)
Williamson’s absence opens up plenty of work for Nicolo Melli, who will likely be a cheap DFS value in the short-term.

Undecided Players

Dwight Howard (C – LAL)
UPDATE: Howard confirmed he will be available in Orlando, per Shams Charania.

Howard is attending to a personal issue, and he’s undecided about playing in Orlando. If he sits out, JaVale McGee gets the biggest boost in value, while Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma could benefit from the residual effects.

Players Who Have Tested Positive for COVID-19

Below is a list of players announced to have positive COVID-19 diagnoses. Player health and availability statuses will be updated as announced. Players with “cleared” dates are expected to play in Orlando unless otherwise noted.

Michael Beasley (F – BKN): Announced July 16, Will not play in Orlando 

Eric Bledsoe (G – MIL): Announced July 16

Harrison Barnes (F – SAC): Announced July 14

Russell Westbrook (G – HOU): Announced July 13

Thomas Bryant (C – WAS): Announced July 9

Gary Payton II (G – WAS): Announced July 9

Taurean Prince (F – BKN): Announced July 7, Will not play in Orlando 

Landry Shamet (G – LAC): Announced July 4

Spencer Dinwiddie (G – BKN): Announced June 29, Will not play in Orlando

DeAndre Jordan (C – BKN): Announced June 29, Will not play in Orlando

Derrick Jones (F – MIA): Announced June 25, Cleared July 9

Jabari Parker (F – SAC): Announced June 24

Buddy Hield (G – SAC): Announced June 24

Alex Len (C – SAC): Announced June 24, Cleared July 14

Malcolm Brogdon (G – MIL): Announced June 24

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): Announced June 23

Marcus Smart (G – BOS): Announced March 19, Cleared March 30

Donovan Mitchell (G – UTA): Announced March 12, Cleared March 27

Rudy Gobert (C – UTA): Announced March 11, Cleared March 27

Players Who Have Signed

Jarrod Uthoff (F – WAS)
Uthoff played well in the G-League this year and will provide depth at forward for a Wizards team that’s down a few playmakers. However, he’s not likely to see meaningful minutes.

Justin Anderson (G/F – BKN)
Anderson has a realistic path to meaningful minutes on a team with shrinking depth.

Jamal Crawford (G – BKN) and Michael Beasley (F – BKN)
Both Crawford and Beasley have good shots at playing meaningful minutes for a young team missing many of its key players, and this could be an audition for a roster spot next season when the team will be a contender in the Eastern Conference. UPDATE: Beasley will not play in Orlando after testing positive for COVID-19. 

J.R. Smith (G – LAL)
It’s unclear what his role will be, but Smith will provide quality three-point shooting while picking up some minutes left behind by Avery Bradley.

Trey Burke (G – DAL)
He’s unlikely to see much action behind Luka Doncic and Seth Curry barring injury.

Luc Mbah a Moute (F – HOU)
He signed on with Houston, but his usage and skill-set aren’t friendly for fantasy basketball.

Players Who May Take Paternity Leave 

Leaving the Orlando bubble is permitted, but returning will require stringent quarantine and testing. Players who want to leave for the birth of a child will likely be away from their teams for an extended period of time. The players listed below will likely take paternity leave this season if their teams are still playing.

Dennis Schroder (G – OKC): Schroder’s eventual absence opens up additional opportunities for the likes of Hamidou Diallo, Terrance Ferguson, and Luguentz Dort, though touches on this team should remain dominated by Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Danilo Gallinari.

Mike Conley (G – UTA): His wife is due on August 27, so he’s at risk to miss playoff action. With Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) already out for the rest of the season, Jordan Clarkson figures to see a big bump in usage when Conley is absent.

Gordon Hayward (F – BOS): Hayward’s wife is due in September for the couple’s fourth child, and Hayward has already said that he’ll take paternity leave. Marcus Smart figures to get the biggest boost with Hayward off the floor, though Romeo Langford and Semi Ojeleye could see increased run as well.

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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.

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