Jason Kidd signed a multiyear extension with Dallas as the season opens against San Antonio, signaling stability after a turbulent 2024-25. The move comes as Dallas navigates a post-trade rebuild and health questions around their core.

Dallas traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers in February 2025 for Anthony Davis, endured Kyrie Irving injuries, and clawed into the Play-In before a lottery win brought Cooper Flagg. Flagg joins a retooled frontcourt with Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, while D’Angelo Russell handles the ball until Irving’s status is resolved. Health and defense shape the ceiling.

With Flagg, Davis and Lively II anchoring the frontcourt and veteran wings like Klay Thompson and Max Christie in the fold, Dallas aims for a top defensive profile and a postseason push if Irving returns healthy. Early schedule versus the Spurs could set the tone for a compact West sprint and fantasy relevance across multiple lineups.

NBA opening week spotlight centers on Victor Wembanyama’s healthy return and Zion Williamson’s best conditioning in years, with LeBron James sidelined early for the Lakers and Kyrie Irving ramping up for Dallas. Injury updates ripple across the league: Embiid’s knee uncertainty, Garland’s early absence, Morant’s ankle risk, and the evolving workloads for Porzingis, Ball, and Markkanen. Fantasy managers should prep for early heat checks, rotation shuffles, and opportunistic adds as stars scale into the season.

Miami showed its preseason puzzle again in Atlanta as Erik Spoelstra mixed lineups with Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware sharing the floor for just 8:03 amid a knee contusion scare. Adebayo left after a second-half contusion scare but said he felt fine, while Ware produced 6 points and 11 rebounds. The Heat shot poorly from deep (5 of 34) and leaned on Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Ethan Thompson for 17-point bursts off the bench. The exhibition highlighted rotation questions ahead of opening night.

As the Heat chase consistency, Spoelstra tinkered with nine-man rotations, rested Jovic, and used the game to evaluate Jaquez, Larsson and Fontecchio alongside Ware in a possible hybrid frontcourt. With two more tune-ups and a charity intrasquad on Wednesday, Miami heads toward a heavy-opening schedule (Orlando Oct. 22, Knicks Oct. 26) while weighing internal development against established roles.