Paul was waived by the Raptors on Friday afternoon and shortly afterwards, took to Instagram to announce his official retirement, saying, “This is it! After over 21 years, I’m stepping away from basketball.” Paul had previously announced that this would be his final season, but then tensions flared with the Clippers earlier in the year, which led to his departure from the team. Paul was a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA point guard, five-time assists leader, nine-time All-NBA defensive team honoree, and two-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States men’s basketball team. He averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in his career and will undoubtedly be a Hall of Famer.

James returned after missing Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs and became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double against the Mavericks on Thursday. The 41-year-old small forward had 28 points to go with 10 rebounds and 12 assists. LeBron has provided 11th-round per game value over the last two weeks heading into the All-Star break.

Clingan became the first Trail Blazer since Scottie Pippen in 2003 to have a game with at least 20 points, at least 15 rebounds, at least five assists and no turnovers. The 21-year-old center has provided second-round per game value over the last two weeks. Clingan looks like a great fantasy center for years to come.

Dieng has struggled to produce or see minutes consistently this season, but has flashed a high-ceiling in the last two games. The 22-year-old small forward followed up a 17-point performance in 23 minutes in the win against the Magic on Wednesday with a full stat line in the win over the Thunder on Thursday. Dieng had 19 points and was just four assists shy of a triple-double while also contributing on the defensive end with a steal and four blocks. He also made three three-pointers. The Bucks deciding to keep giving him more minutes could lead to more games like this in the future.

In a statement released by the NBA less than an hour before the Jazz tipped off against the Trail Blazers on Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver said, “Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games.” The Jazz were held accountable for holding out starters, notably Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen, in the fourth quarter of the February 7 game against the Magic and February 9 game against the Heat. It’s been an active week for Silver, who also levied multiple suspensions against players stemming from a benches-clearing incident with the Hornets and Pistons. Only time will tell if the Jazz receive this message or decide to get more creative in their pursuit of better lottery odds.

Turner wasn’t on the initial injury report, but was a late scratch with right calf soreness. Ousmane Dieng had 17 points in 23 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Magic and could be in for even more minutes with Turner out Thursday against the Thunder, Dieng’s former team.

Tristan Vukčević (illness) is out on Wednesday against Cleveland, so Anthony Gill could see big minutes. Assuming he’s healthy, Vukčević has a clear path to meaningful minutes post All-Star break, and he could be a “silly season” hero down the stretch.

The news come out of left field, and Haynes notes that JJJ underwent surgery after a localized PVNS growth was discovered post trade. Fantasy managers should have already planned for him to miss fourth quarters, but now he’ll be totally unavailable. With Jackson Jr. sidelined and Utah already in active tank mode, it won’t be long before other starters begin to get shut down. “Silly season” heroes will emerge from this rotation, and some of the best are Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier and Vince Williams Jr.

He was only one turnover away from this being an unglamorous quadruple-double. It certainly wasn’t an efficient performance for Jokić. He struggled from the floor and the free throw line as well to go with the abundance of turnovers. Still, it was a fourth straight triple-double, and it was enough to get a win, which is a great way to enter the All-Star break. He’ll continue to be the best player in fantasy basketball over the final two months of the regular season.

While his season-long value has not met the expectations of most fantasy managers, Adebayo goes into the All-Star break on a high note. He scored at least 20 points in 11 of his last 13 games, recording eight double-doubles. During this run, Adebayo was a third-round player in eight-cat formats, according to Basketball Monster. The Heat complete their Week 17 with two games after the All-Star break, starting with the Hawks on February 20.