Thomas aggravated his right hip injury in the Eastern Conference Finals, which cut his playoff run short, but after evaluations by multiple specialists it has been determined that he won't need to go under the knife.

Thomas averaged a career-high 28.9 points to go with 5.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game while shooting a career-high .546 effective field goal percentage last season. His 16.3 nERD was good for first among Celtics players and sixth in the NBA.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers head a list of other teams linked to Anthony and the Knicks in recent weeks. The thing is Anthony holds a no-trade clause, so unless he gives the go-ahead for a deal he's not going anywhere. With Houston being his top choice, it's likely that he ends up there or back in New York for the 2017-18 campaign.

Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, averaged 22.4 points on 43.3% from the field in 2016-17. His -0.7 nERD ranked him 269th of 486 NBA players this past season.

Afflalo will return to Orlando, where he played two seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14. At 31, Afflalo figures to bring a veteran presence to a young team full of players at his same position. Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross and Jonathan Simmons are all likely to play ahead of Afflalo while Mario Hezonja could be in for even less minutes in the upcoming season.

Last year in Sacramento, Afflalo produced 8.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game. He played just 61 games and earned a -3.9 nERD, which ranked 444th of 486 players in 2016-17.

Knight suffered the injury in a pickup game last week in Miami. After undergoing surgery, a timetable will be set, but it looks like Knight could be out for the year. In his stead, Tyler Ulis figures to see more minutes while Devin Booker will be asked to shoulder more of the ball-handling and scoring load from the off-guard position.

In 2016-17, Knight averaged 11.0 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field. His -4.4 nERD ranked just 220th of 245 NBA guards.

The Nets, who made an offer to Crabbe a year ago, will get their guy and unload what's left of Nicholson's four-year, $26 million deal. The Trail Blazers will waive Nicholson and stretch his remaining money, which should allow them to more effectively pursue Carmelo Anthony in trade discussions. Reports have recently surfaced regarding Portland's interest in Anthony.

Spread across two teams, Nicholson averaged just 2.6 points and 1.6 in 9.0 minutes per game a year ago. His -1.9 nERD tied the second-worst mark of his five-year career.

Last year, the Nets made an offer to Crabbe in restricted free agency. Now a year removed from the Blazers matching the offer sheet, the Nets could complete a trade for Crabbe, shedding the veteran Nicholson in the process. Crabbe figures to be in the mix for a big role at shooting guard and/or small forward in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Portland will waive and utilize the stretch provision in dealing with Nicholson's $19.9 million in dead money.

In 2016-17, Crabbe averaged 10.7 points, 1.7 three-pointers and 2.9 rebounds across 28.5 minutes per game. He played in 79 games and earned a nERD of -0.6, which placed him 259th of 486 players in our database.