2026 NBA Free Agency: Fantasy Basketball Winners and Losers

July 6, 2026

NBA analyst Thunder Dan Palyo gives you the best available free agents available during the NBA Free Agency moratorium. These 2026 NBA free agents are projected to change teams and have a fantasy basketball impact.

NBA free agency kicked off last week with a flurry of player movement on the first few days, but has died down since then. There are still a lot of players available, but not too many that are going to move the needle much in standard fantasy basketball leagues other than LeBron James or Jalen Duren.

We saw several trades ahead of the NBA draft, and then a few more since free agency started, including the much-discussed Jaylen Brown for Paul George swap by the Sixers and Celtics.

While there are still likely some trades and signings coming this week, let's take stock of what's happened so far. Which players saw their fantasy value increase or decrease due to the player movement that's occurred over the last week?

Biggest Winners For Fantasy Basketball

Walker Kessler, C - Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers made big waves when they broke the bank for Utah center Walker Kessler. They gave up draft capital to bring in Kessler and immediately signed him to a four-year deal. I've seen plenty of folks reacting as if the Lakers overpaid for a relatively unproven young player, but I absolutely love this move for the Lakers both in real life and for fantasy purposes.

BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030, sources tell ESPN. Kessler will sign a massive four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/rt8b17fEQZ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

I think a lot of folks don't realize the type of upside that Kessler flashed in five games last year before suffering his season-ending injury. He was already an elite offensive rebounder and shot-blocker, but Kessler added three-point shooting to his arsenal as he drilled 1.2 threes per game while shooting 75% from behind the arc.

Just how many threes he takes this season for the Lakers remains to be seen, but the fact that he can stretch the floor from the center position, while also scoring in the paint, is going to allow the Lakers to open this offense up. Playing in the pick-and-roll with two very good passers in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will lead to a lot of easy buckets, and Kessler already gets a bunch of easy points on putbacks, too.

We're talking about a guy who has the potential to post something like 15 points and 12 boards per game, while also making a three and blocking two shots. Those types of players are rare, and with Deandre Ayton now out of town, Kessler should see as many minutes as he can handle. I'm extremely bullish on a big year.

Jayson  Tatum, SF/PF - Boston Celtics

Not many players could return from a major injury as quickly as Tatum did last year. He was able to play in sixteen games at the end of the season, but got banged up in the playoffs and missed game seven against the Sixers.

With Jaylen Brown out of town, it should be the Tatum show in Boston. Yes, Paul George comes over and will soak up some of that vacated Brown usage, but PG13 is a much less ball-dominant player who can thrive as a catch-and-shoot player alongside Tatum.

I think we can boost Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, too, as I expect them to help pick up the slack with Brown now in Philly. White shot the ball poorly last year, but is still a fantasy unicorn as a player who can provide value in threes, steals, blocks, and solid percentages from the guard position. And Pritchard is coming off his best year in the league. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, I expect we see him play around 30 minutes and put up some very good stats.

Norman Powell, SG/SF - Chicago Bulls

Powell heads to Chicago, where he should slot in as the starting shooting guard. The Bulls badly needed shooting and another scorer in the backcourt, and Powell is a bucket-getter. His fantasy profile is fairly limited since he doesn't get a lot of defensive stats, but Powell still finished 75th in 9-cat last year while playing 29.6 minutes in Miami.

There's nothing wrong with targeting a 20-point scorer who can shoot 47% from the floor, and we could see Powell increase that scoring average in Chicago if the Bulls play as fast as I expect they might.

Coby White, PG/SG, and Naz Reid, PF/C - Charlotte Hornets

I know the Hornets took a lot of heat when they dealt their former franchise player, LaMelo Ball, to the Timberwolves, but I absolutely love what they are doing with their roster. They brought back Naz Reid in that deal, while also stocking up on some draft assets, and then flipped Miles Bridges for Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale.

Charlotte is banking on Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel to lead their new, young core, and they're surrounding them with three-point shooters and efficient players. Reid has been a backup in Minnesota for his entire career, but we know he has top-50 potential with starters' minutes based on what he's done when thrust into a larger role (as evidenced by his stats when Gobert or Randle were out).

I love Naz's fantasy skill set as he can knock down threes while also adding defensive stats. I think he'll start at power forward, with Charlotte having Moussa Diabete, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and rookie Hannes Steinbach all jockeying for minutes at center.

Coby White had a down year in Chicago, but was a very effective player off the bench for Charlotte after he was traded there last season. He should see a boost in value as the starter at point guard this year, and I think he'll get back to providing solid value with a solid supporting cast surrounding him and little competition for minutes.

John Collins, PF/C - Detroit Pistons

The Pistons were able to replace Tobias Harris with a younger, more versatile player in John Collins at power forward. Collins is never a sexy target in fantasy drafts, but his skill set is perfectly tailored for 9-CAT leagues. He really doesn't hurt you anywhere other than in assists, and I think he could outperform his numbers from last year in L.A.

Playing alongside an elite point guard like Cade Cunningham should result in a lot of good looks for Collins, and with Isaiah Stewart gone, the Pistons are going to need him to play substantial minutes at the four.

Biggest Losers For Fantasy Basketball

Deni Avdija, SF/PF, and Scoot Henderson, PG - Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers went and did a weird thing when they traded for Ja Morant. They were able to get out from under the terrible Jerami Grant contract, but now have four ball-dominant guards on their roster with Morant, Damien Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson.

BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/FJOTzGe5Tr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026

Holiday could be on the move in another trade, but even if he's moved, Scoot Henderson will still be behind the veterans Lillard and Morant in the pecking order. And the bad news for Avdija, who averaged 6.7 assists for Portland last season, is that he'll likely have the ball less often. It's going to be tough for Deni to match his stellar stats from last year with a healthy Lillard and Morant commanding a lot of usage.

Deandre Ayton, C - Washington Wizards

Ayton now finds himself in Washington, backing up Anthony Davis and Alexandre Sarr. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! The former first overall pick has done quite a bit of damage to his reputation, and I just don't think teams view him as a starting-caliber center in the league anymore.

Barring a trade of Davis elsewhere, Ayton is going end up being a player who isn't even drafted in fantasy leagues. He'll probably be a streamer at some point this year when Davis inevitably misses time, but for now, he can be largely ignored.

Tobias Harris, SF/PF - San Antonio Spurs

Harris had an outstanding run in the postseason for Detroit, but he now joins a crowded frontcourt rotation in San Antonio, where he may not even start. Harris has been a longtime fantasy staple due to his solid 9-CAT game, but he finished just 110th in 9-CAT last season.

Even if Harris does start at power forward, he'll likely be the fifth option behind Victor Wembanyama and all of the young Spurs' guards.

Kelly Oubre Jr., SF/PF - Indiana Pacers

Oubre Jr. had a nice three-year run in Philly, where he averaged nearly 15 points per game and played 30+ minutes per night. He was a part-time starter for the Sixers and benefited from a lot of games missed by Joel Embiid and Paul George. He was able to carve out some late-round value in that super-sub role in Philly, but now heads to Indiana where he'll join a more croweded rotation.

I doubt that Indiana starts him over Aaron Nesmith, so Oubre Jr. will likely be used in a bench-scorer role. I just don't think there's any chance he gets close to 30 minutes per game this year, and I am not sure he does enough statistically to be fantasy-relevant if he plays around 25 minutes or less.

Marcus Smart, PG/SG - Houston Rockets

Smart is coming off his best season since 2023, as he played 28 minutes per game for the Lakers last year and operated as a starter for much of the season (54 games). He was still a very marginal player in fantasy basketball, but he did enough in threes, steals, and assists to warrant a roster spot in deep leagues or be used as a streamer.

Now he joins a Houston team that gets Fred VanVleet back in the lineup and has Reed Sheppard backing up both guard spots. He'll play some kind of role on this team, but will likely be used for his defense and I don't think there's any kind of path to fantasy relevance for him on his new team.

Who's Still Available?

Here's a quick list of some of the most notable free agents who have yet to agree to terms with any team, sorted from most to least impactful.

• LeBron James
• James Harden (expected to re-sign in CLE)
• Jalen Duren (restricted)
• Peyton Watson (restricted)
• Bennedict Mathurin (restricted)
• DeMar DeRozan (expected to be released by SAC)
• Jonathan Kuminga
• Rui Hachimura
• Draymond Green
• Russell Westbrook
• Khris Middleton
• Bradley Beal
• Jordan Clarkson

Who will win the LeBron sweepstakes? The Cavs appear to be the leader in the clubhouse, but James' landing spot likely won't change his outlook too much for fantasy. He could eat into some of his teammates production wherever he goes, but probably not enough to ding them all that much either.

I don't think we see a Jalen Duren trade, but if we do, then we will have a major shakeup with both Detroit and his new team. I also think Watson resigns in Denver, too. DeMar DeRozan could head to a contender who needs some scoring, but his days of being a fantasy-relevant player are pretty much numbered, especially if he ends up in a lesser role on a good team.

There aren't too many other players here who move the needle, but who knows what else could happen - this is the NBA after all!

Stay tuned as we see what the rest of the week has in store for us! We will have you covered with breaking news as it develops here at RotoBaller!

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