Sacramento Kings en Washington Wizards

Watkins believes De'Andre Hunter will start at small forward next to Murray ahead of Alex Karaban. Murray underwent an arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies in his left ankle back in May, though he's expected to be ready in time for training camp.

LaVine underwent season-ending surgery on his right hand before the 2025-26 All-Star break. He averaged 19.2 points in 39 regular-season games and was a two-time All-Star before being traded to the Kings in February of 2025. The Kings are listening to trade offers for LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, but their hefty contracts are making things difficult. If LaVine stays in Sacramento, he'll likely take a back seat, as the Kings try to develop 2026 No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff.

Fantasy managers weren't quite able to get a clear idea about Hunter's role after his move to Sacramento, as the forward made just two appearances for the Kings before undergoing season-ending eye surgery. While Acuff is expected to play a big role and see plenty of ball-handling duties right away, Hunter could still move up the depth chart and benefit from a usage perspective if DeMar DeRozan (hamstring) winds up going elsewhere in 2026-27.

Davis was limited to only 20 regular-season appearances with Dallas last season due to health issues, but Dawkins said the 10-time All-Star is currently in a "great frame of mind." Washington also views Davis as a starting-caliber center in a revamped frontcourt featuring Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton. Davis and the Wizards reportedly postponed contract extension discussions earlier this offseason, but Dawkins declined to specifically address those talks Thursday.

General manager Will Dawkins said Thursday that Sarr is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, so the limited workload to begin camp appears precautionary. Sarr underwent surgery in mid-June, and his progress during the preseason will be worth monitoring, but there currently doesn't appear to be significant concern about his availability for Opening Night.

With Young limited to 15 regular-season appearances in 2025-26 due to injuries, any sign of offseason rehab progress is notable. This report points to active conditioning work after his quadriceps issue, though it does not provide a return timeline or formal clearance update ahead of training camp for Washington.

Watkins, a two-way player for the Wizards, suffered the injury during the Summer League. Although Washington has yet to offer a timetable for a return, a typical recovery time for the procedure is approximately 9-to-12 months. That leaves Watkins in serious jeopardy of missing most, if not all, of the 2026-27 season, and it remains to be seen if the team will continue keeping him around on a two-way roster spot while he's injured.