Portland Trail Blazers at Charlotte Hornets

Chris Haynes of NBA TV reported when the trade went down that the Trail Blazers had a Morant and Lillard backcourt pairing in mind, so it'll be interesting to see how the ball-handling responsibilities are divvied up in 2026-27 should they stick to that plan. Morant endured yet another injury-plagued campaign in 2025-26 with the Grizzlies, making just 20 appearances while shooting a career-low 41.0 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent from deep, and he's reached the 60-game mark just one time over his past five seasons. With plenty of questions surrounding his fit in his new digs, the dynamic 27-year-old point guard is shaping up as a difficult fantasy player to rank as a high-risk, high-reward gamble in the second half of drafts.

It's a tough blow to the Trail Blazers' depth on the wing ahead of training camp. Sharpe, who is now likely to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, had been ticketed for a reserve role behind Toumani Camara following an injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign, which saw average a career-high 20.8 points, 1.4 steals and 2.1 three-pointers per game over 50 regular-season appearances. The door is now open for Vit Krejci and Jeremy Sochan to compete for bench minutes during camp.

With Miller coming off May surgery to address left shoulder instability, any rehab update is notable as Charlotte prepares for training camp. "It's going good, going good," Miller said. "I'm getting stronger. That's all I can ask for. The stronger I get, the more mobile I am with the shoulder and that is the most important thing." He wasn't ready to commit to a timetable, and he's still awaiting full clearance for basketball activities with training camp a little over a month away.

The Hornets say that Knueppel will be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season, putting his status for Opening Night on Oct. 21 in jeopardy. Knueppel is coming off a dominant rookie campaign with regular-season averages of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 47.5 percent shooting from the field.

Williams will be re-evaluated the first week of the regular season, putting his status for Opening Night in the air. Williams will have a difficult path to minutes this season as he competes with the likes of Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale and Tidjane Salaun.

Hall sustained the injury in the G League Greensboro Swarm's playoff win over the Maine Celtics on March 31. The big man appeared in 19 regular-season games (two starts) with Charlotte, averaging 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per contest. He's signed to a two-way deal with the Hornets and is slated to return next season.

Dillingham, the 2024 No. 8 overall pick, has appeared in 114 regular-season games for the Timberwolves and Bulls throughout his career, averaging 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 13.0 minutes per contest. It's unknown what kind of role he will have in Charlotte, though it may not be a meaningful one, considering the Hornets have plenty of backcourt depth. Dillingham had minor surgery in April to remove a ganglion cyst but is expected to be ready to go to begin the 2026-27 campaign.