NBA2026-10-18Nic Claxton Will Be Out Awhile as Final NBA Roster Cuts Land: The Draft-Week Moves That Change Fantasy Rankings
By Verdexed Fantasy Desk
NBA teams spent the weekend trimming rosters ahead of Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline to get down to 15 standard contracts and three two-way deals, and the cuts arrived alongside a handful of injuries that matter far more for fantasy drafts. The biggest is in Chicago, where Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said center Nic Claxton will be out awhile with a hamstring injury, putting his status for the Oct. 21 opener at Toronto in serious doubt.
For managers drafting this week, the final roster decisions mostly affect deep leagues. The injuries affect everyone. Here is what changed and how to adjust your rankings.
The final cuts and two-way moves
Saturday was the practical deadline for most cuts. Waived players sit on waivers for 48 hours, so teams that wanted a roster set by Monday afternoon had to make the corresponding moves by Saturday evening. Players on Exhibit 10 deals who were waived Friday or Saturday can still be claimed and converted to two-way contracts before Monday.
| Team | Move | Fantasy relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Mavericks | Waived John Poulakidas (two-way) and Seth Lundy (camp deal) | Low; Lundy is reportedly a candidate for the open two-way spot |
| Raptors | Converted Nate Bittle to a two-way, waived five camp players | Low; Bittle adds frontcourt depth |
| Celtics | Waived four camp invitees, per Hoops Rumors | None |
| Jazz | Converted Harrison Ingram to a two-way, per reports | Deep leagues only |
| 76ers | Signed Tacko Fall to a two-way | Low; emergency center depth |
Dallas is the team still working on its roster. After waiving Poulakidas and Lundy, the Mavericks were reported to remain over the standard-roster limit, and several outlets have pointed to veteran Dwight Powell, who re-signed on a training camp deal in September, as the likeliest player to be let go. Marc Stein reported that Lundy had emerged as a candidate for the two-way spot Poulakidas opened.
Philadelphia's signing of Fall is the only move on this list that touches a rotation. The 76ers lost backup center Ariel Hukporti to a torn Achilles in the preseason opener, and Adem Bona has been working back from a left foot sprain. Fall is a body behind Joel Embiid, not a fantasy option.
Claxton's hamstring opens a hole in Chicago
Claxton tweaked his hamstring around Oct. 5 and was originally set to be re-evaluated in two weeks, a timeline that already put the opener in question. Splitter's update after practice on Oct. 14 was vaguer and more concerning, saying only that Claxton would be out awhile. Zach Collins, the other veteran big, has also dealt with a toe injury in the preseason, though he is expected to be available for the opener.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Jalen Smith is likely to take over in the paint while Claxton is out. Smith is a stretch big who can add threes and rebounds, and his minutes could be meaningful for the first couple of weeks. Claxton should slide down draft boards into the late rounds, with the understanding that he is a hold for managers with an injured-list slot. His blocks and field-goal percentage will help once he is back, but the timeline is now open-ended.
Mark Williams and Shaedon Sharpe: plan for months, not weeks
Two longer absences are worth restating because they still show up too high in some default rankings. Phoenix center Mark Williams had surgery in September to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Suns gave no timetable, and reports at the time projected an absence of at least five months. Oso Ighodaro has been starting at center in the preseason, with rookie Khaman Maluach pushing for minutes, and the Suns added Duop Reath for depth.
Portland guard Shaedon Sharpe tore the meniscus in his right knee during an offseason workout and is expected to miss about six months, per ESPN's Shams Charania. That timeline points to a return in late February or early March. Sharpe averaged 20.8 points in 29.4 minutes per game last season, so his absence frees up a lot of shots. Scoot Henderson, who is still negotiating a rookie-scale extension before Monday's deadline, is one of the players best positioned to absorb them.
Bam Adebayo is the injury not to overreact to
Miami listed Bam Adebayo as out for a preseason game last week with right groin tightness. Coach Erik Spoelstra said he was not overly concerned, and Adebayo was described as day-to-day with about a week to go before Miami's Oct. 21 opener against Minnesota. That is the profile of a minor issue. If Adebayo falls a round in your draft because of a cautious injury tag, take him. He is set to share the frontcourt with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who makes his Heat debut in that same game.
What to do in your league
Move down: Claxton to the late rounds, with injured-list upside. Williams and Sharpe belong in the final rounds or on the waiver wire unless your league has deep injured-list slots.
Move up: Jalen Smith as a late-round flier in deeper formats while Claxton is out. Ighodaro as a late-round center in Phoenix, though Maluach could cut into his minutes. Henderson as a mid-round guard with upside, since Portland's shot distribution changes without Sharpe.
Leave alone: Adebayo. A groin tightness tag from a preseason game is not a reason to pass on a proven fantasy center.
Ignore: The two-way signings and camp cuts. None of these players project to hold a fantasy-relevant role, and they can be picked up later if that changes.
Betting angle
Injuries to centers matter most for team rebounding and rim protection, and those are the areas where early-season totals and player props can lag. Chicago without Claxton and Phoenix without Williams are both leaning on less proven bigs, which can mean more second-chance points for opponents. Rebound and block props for the replacements, Smith in Chicago and Ighodaro in Phoenix, are the lines most likely to be set below their opening-week roles.
For the model's view of opening-week games, see /nba/predictions.
What's next
Monday at 5 p.m. ET is the roster deadline, and it lines up with the rookie-scale extension deadline at 5 p.m. Central. Expect the Mavericks to make a final move, and expect any last-minute waiver claims on Exhibit 10 players to show up as two-way conversions. The first official injury reports for Tuesday's opening-night tripleheader also arrive Monday afternoon.
For Claxton, the next marker is the Bulls' first injury report before the Oct. 21 game in Toronto. If he is listed as out with no timeline, Smith becomes a priority add in deeper leagues. Draft with that in mind this week, and keep your final bench spot flexible for the first waiver run after opening night.