Trae Young, VJ Edgecombe among fantasy basketball winners, losers in the 2026 NBA offseason

This offseason has been full of surprises, and with LeBron James still keeping everyone guessing about his next destination, the drama is far from over. From the moment the NBA Finals wrapped, through the 2026 NBA Draft and into free agency, the league hasn’t stood still. An NBA Finals MVP was traded to a division rival, a two-time Finals MVP returned to his original championship team and veterans across the league are searching for fresh starts.

So which players have boosted their stock and whose fantasy basketball value might take a hit as we head into next season? Let’s talk about it.

Walker Kessler — Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers acquired Kessler in a pricey sign-and-trade to fill the center spot left by the Anthony Davis deal. With no real competition behind him, Kessler is positioned to thrive as a shot-blocking, elite-rebounding big and efficient scorer off pick-and-rolls and putbacks.

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Next to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, expect Kessler to deliver a top-50 fantasy season, with averages north of 15 points, 10 rebounds and a couple of blocks on high efficiency.

Derrick White — Boston Celtics

The obvious Celtics beneficiary of the Jaylen Brown trade is Jayson Tatum — he’s an easy first-round selection. The more interesting benefactor is Derrick White. In the 50 games White has played without Brown since 2021-22, he’s averaged 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3.2 3s and 1.6 stocks on 43/38/87 shooting.

Without Brown, White’s usage jumps by 4.0 percentage points to 23.5%. As Boston’s likely second option and secondary playmaker, White’s set for a more prominent role. I’d draft him by the fourth round.

Trae Young — Washington Wizards

Signing a four-year, $212 million deal is about as much job security as a player can ask for. Young is the unquestioned primary facilitator for a young, ascending Wizards core. After being sidetracked by injuries following his midseason trade from Atlanta, Young is back to full health and back to a role that lets him operate as a true table-setter.

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With an exciting group surrounding him featuring Alex Sarr, AJ Dybantsa, Kyshawn George, Tre…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/trae-young-vj-edgecombe-among-fantasy-basketball-winners-losers-in-the-2026-nba-offseason-144615841.html

Author : Dan Titus

Publish date : 2026-07-07 14:46:00

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