Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry became eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million maximum extension on Saturday, but he told NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson that he is not rushing the process. "There's no question I want to be here the rest of my career," Curry said. The contract is not the fantasy concern; his health is. Curry played 43 games last season while dealing with a knee issue but still averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.4 threes in 30.9 minutes. With Jimmy Butler III (knee) still without a firm return date, Curry and Brandin Podziemski should carry more early creation responsibility. Curry remains elite when active, but availability is the risk.

Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Luguentz Dort said he called Nickeil Alexander-Walker right away after learning of his July trade from Oklahoma City, according to Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza. The two were high school teammates and longtime competitors, and Dort said Alexander-Walker has helped him adjust to Atlanta's style of play. Dort backed that chemistry Monday with 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting in Canada's 97-92 qualifying win over Argentina, while Alexander-Walker added 26. Still, Dort is coming off a quiet NBA season, averaging 8.3 points on a career-low 38.5 percent shooting. With Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels also in Atlanta's perimeter mix, Dort's fantasy value remains tied mostly to steals, threes, and defensive minutes.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic played through three days of sickness and multiple IV treatments in Serbia's 76-64 win over Italy in FIBA World Cup qualifying on Monday. Serbian head coach Dusan Alimpijevic said Jokic "rejected giving up and leaving his team alone," which helps explain the three-time MVP's quiet line of eight points, eight rebounds, and one assist. There is no immediate fantasy fallout with Serbia's next qualifying window set for late November, but managers will want this cleared up before training camp. Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists last season and remains the safest fantasy anchor when healthy.

Miami Heat center Nick Richards said the teams that passed on him in free agency were wrong, and he plans to prove it in Miami. "There's a lot of teams that passed up on me that I felt like they should have given me more consideration," Richards told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday. The 28-year-old has spoken with Erik Spoelstra about bringing energy and physicality, but the path to minutes is tight behind Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Nikola Jovic. Richards started 51 games for Charlotte in 2023-24, averaging 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds, but he slipped to 14.6 minutes per game between Phoenix and Chicago last season. He needs a strong preseason to become more than emergency fantasy depth.