Garrett Temple

Temple will be joining his sixth team in five years this season, as he was traded to the Pelicans from the Bulls in the deal that landed Lonzo Ball in Chicago. Temple was in a sixth-man role with the Bulls, seeing 27.3 minutes per game and averaging 7.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He was mostly irrelevant in fantasy, ranking just 241st on a per-game basis. That shouldn't change this season, and there's a good chance the 35-year-old will see fewer minutes. He'll be competing with a variety of other guards and wings for playing time with New Orleans, and it's not a guarantee that he'll be an every-game player if some of the young talent steps up. Given that he doesn't have much upside if he sees real minutes, either, Temple can probably be avoided in in most fantasy drafts this fall.

Temple signed a contract with the Nets prior to the 2019-20 season and on a per-game basis, he had his best fantasy campaign since 2016-17 -- averaging 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 threes and 1.3 combined steals-plus-blocks. Given that his player option is just $5 million for the upcoming season, he'll likely be back with Brooklyn. The dynamic of the team has changed significantly, however. Kevin Durant will be making his Nets debut, and Kyrie Irving will be looking to remain healthy as the team looks to be in contention for a championship, which could mean less run and lower usage for Temple. He'll likely remain a fantasy option only in deeper formats again in 2020-21.

Temple will be playing with his ninth different NBA team in his 10th season after signing a two-year contract with the Nets this offseason. Temple started last season with the Grizzlies but was then traded at the deadline to the Clippers. He played a large role in Memphis, especially since they started the season looking like a competitive club, and he averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 31.2 minutes per game with them. Then, after being dealt to Los Angeles, the swingman's playing dropped sharply to 19.6 minutes per game in 26 appearances. Now as part of a Brooklyn franchise that is finally looking to compete, Temple should serve as a key player off the bench. However, even without Kevin Durant, who is out for the year after tearing his Achilles, Brooklyn is quite crowded on the wing. Temple will be battling with the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler and Rodions Kurucs for minutes in the backcourt and on the wing. His best avenue for minutes is likely at shooting guard, and it's his best fit given his skillset. Temple is a 35.3 percent three-point shooter for his career and has shot at least 34 percent in each of the last four seasons. But for once, the Nets boast a lot of talent and depth, so the 33-year-old Temple will be fighting for every minute he can get this season.

Temple brings his veteran leadership and impressive defensive skills to Memphis, where he’s expected to fill an important wing role in the coming season. While Dillon Brooks is projected to handle starting shooting guard duties, Temple should see his fair share of playing time while also filling in at small forward as needed. He’s now averaged well over 20 minutes in three straight seasons and scored a career-best 8.4 points (on a career-high 7.3 shot attempts) in Sacramento last season. However, Temple’s most reliable contributions typically come on the defensive end, which should allow him to fit in seamlessly with a Grizzlies squad looking to return to an elite level of play on that end of the floor. Given his typically modest offensive contributions, however, Temple’s Fantasy appeal is limited to very deep formats, even if he’s able to enjoy an allotment in excess of 20 minutes per game.

Temple played a significant rotational role with the Kings last season, posting 7.8 points, 2.8 boards, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals across 26.6 minutes per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and hitting 1.3 threes per game at a 37.3 percent clip. His path to playing time is less clear heading into the 2017-18 season, however, as the team added guys like George Hill, Justin Jackson and Bogdan Bogdanovich to the mix. While Temple’s ability to play both shooting guard and small forward should allow the Kings to find him playing time somewhere, he wasn’t especially productive in the minutes he received last year. Overall, it seems realistic to expect Temple’s playing time to either plateau or dip, lowering his already subpar Fantasy stock. For those reasons, he can likely be safely avoided in most Fantasy formats.

In his first two seasons in the NBA, Temple had cups of coffee with five different franchises. He never appeared in more than 13 games and shuttled between the NBA and the NBDL. Temple spent the 2011-12 season in Italy, but appears to have found a home in Washington. The 6-6 guard has stuck with the Wizards and has appeared in at least 50 games for the team over the last three seasons. Last year, Temple started 18 games while Bradley Beal was out and managed to hit a Beal-like 38 percent of his three-pointers. He opened the season with four games of 12 or more points in his first five, then scored in double digits just four times during the rest of the season. For the season, he played 14 minutes per game and averaged 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks. He converted 40 percent from the field and 73 percent from the line. Temple's main asset is his perimeter defense, and he uses his long frame well. He will have to battle Ramon Sessions and Gary Neal for playing time, but Temple is superior defensively to his competition.

Garrett Temple, 28 years old, averaged 1.8 points, 0.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks in nine minutes per game through 75 games played for the Wizards last season. He re-signed on a two-year, veteran's minimum deal in the offseason and figures to once again occupy a role on the edge of Washington's rotation. Capable of playing both guard spots, Temple will likely be the third point guard, behind John Wall and Andre Miller. His prospects for playing time at shooting guard aren't much better, as the Wizards have Bradley Beal hogging most of the minutes, backed up by Martell Webster/Paul Pierce and Glen Rice. After all but falling out of the rotation after the All-Star break last season, Temple is likely just hoping to work his way back to 5-10 minutes per game. Barring an injury to Miller, Wall, or Beal, he may find even that hard to come by.

Temple is on the roster to provide insurance at both guard positions. He is very defense oriented and has fantasy value in only the deepest of leagues. The Wizards are his seventh team in three NBA seasons.

Temple impressed coaches during a series of 10-day contracts last year, even earning a start late in the season. He is the favorite to earn the team’s final roster spot this year, but should provide little fantasy contribution.