The NBA trade deadline is an important benchmark for fantasy basketball, as it reveals which teams are looking to contend for a championship, compete for a postseason spot, or develop younger players while also enhancing their draft lottery odds.
With the 2026 NBA Draft class projected to be one of the best in recent history, and multiple lottery-bound teams looking to hold onto protected first-round picks, there’s greater incentive to pull the plug and rely on younger players who may not be ready to win NBA games yet.
The Utah Jazz pulled off one of the bigger moves at the deadline, acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. as part of a multi-player deal with the Grizzlies and Hawks. Given Utah’s record, it’s clear that they’ll be back in the draft lottery this spring. And with that, fantasy managers have the added challenge of determining whether slotting players like Jackson, Lauri Markkanen or Keyonte George is worth the risk.
While George sprained his ankle during Saturday’s loss to the Magic, Jackson and Markkanen were healthy but did not play at all in the fourth quarter. Their absences factored into the Magic erasing a 17-point deficit to win by three, 120-117. And this isn’t the first time the Jazz have made some interesting decisions with their rotations, as Jusuf Nurkić did not play at all in two games earlier in the week despite being listed as available.
There are all players who should be rostered in standard leagues, with Jackson, Markkanen and George having value in shallow leagues as well. But, are they worth the risk when it’s unknown how much, or if, they’ll play? Jazz players who aren’t in the updated Rotoworld Top 200 like Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski have added value because of that question.
The same question can be asked of Brooklyn, Indiana, Sacramento and Washington, albeit to varying degrees at this point. For fantasy managers who are currently rostering veterans from “tanking” teams, hopefully, their league trade deadline hasn’t hit yet. The return may not be great, but trades have to be considered.
📺 → Watch the NBA on Peacock on Monday night, as the Bucks take on the Magic at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Thunder visiting the Lakers at 10:00 p.m. ET!
| Rank | Position(s) | Player | Team |
| 1 | C | Nikola Jokić | Denver Nuggets |
| 2 | PG | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 3 | SF, PF | Kawhi Leonard | LA Clippers |
| 4 | PG | Tyrese Maxey | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 5 | C | Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs |
| 6 | PG, SG | Luka Dončić | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 7 | PG, SG | Jamal Murray | Denver Nuggets |
| 8 | PG, SG | Donovan Mitchell | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 9 | SF, PF | Trey Murphy | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 10 | SF, PF | Lauri Markkanen | Utah Jazz |
| 11 | SG, SF, PF | Scottie Barnes | Toronto Raptors |
| 12 | PG | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| 13 | SF, PF | Jalen Johnson | Atlanta Hawks |
| 14 | PG, SG | Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 15 | SF, PF | Kevin Durant | Houston Rockets |
| 16 | PG, SG | James Harden | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 17 | PG, SG | Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons |
| 18 | SF, PF | Michael Porter Jr. | Brooklyn Nets |
| 19 | PG, SG | Austin Reaves | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 20 | SF, PF | Mikal Bridges | New York Knicks |
| 21 | PF, C | Chet Holmgren | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 22 | PG, SG | Derrick White | Boston Celtics |
| 23 | PF, C | Karl-Anthony Towns | New York Knicks |
| 24 | PG, SG | Kevin Porter Jr. | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 25 | C | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 26 | PF, C | Anthony Davis | Washington Wizards |
| 27 | PG, SG | Keyonte George | Utah Jazz |
| 28 | C | Onyeka Okongwu | Atlanta Hawks |
| 29 | PG, SG | Tyler Herro | Miami Heat |
| 30 | PF, C | Alex Sarr | Washington Wizards |
| 31 | C | Nikola Vučević | Boston Celtics |
| 32 | SF, PF | OG Anunoby | New York Knicks |
| 33 | C | Zach Edey | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 34 | PF, C | Julius Randle | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 35 | PF, C | Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 36 | PG | Jalen Brunson | New York Knicks |
| 37 | SF | Cooper Flagg | Dallas Mavericks |
| 38 | SG, SF | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Atlanta Hawks |
| 39 | SG, SF | Norman Powell | Miami Heat |
| 40 | PF, C | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 41 | PG, SG, SF | Amen Thompson | Houston Rockets |
| 42 | PG | Jalen Suggs | Orlando Magic |
| 43 | C | Jalen Duren | Detroit Pistons |
| 44 | SF, PF | Franz Wagner | Orlando Magic |
| 45 | PG, SG | Immanuel Quickley | Toronto Raptors |
| 46 | PF, C | Alperen Şengün | Houston Rockets |
| 47 | C | Mark Williams | Phoenix Suns |
| 48 | SF, PF | Paul George | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 49 | PG | Collin Gillespie | Phoenix Suns |
| 50 | PF, C | Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat |
| 51 | SF, PF | Deni Avdija | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 52 | PF, C | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Utah Jazz |
| 53 | C | Kristaps Porziņģis | Golden State Warriors |
| 54 | PG | Ryan Rollins | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 55 | SF | DeMar DeRozan | Sacramento Kings |
| 56 | SF | Kon Knueppel | Charlotte Hornets |
| 57 | PF, C | Naz Reid | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 58 | SF, PF | Andrew Wiggins | Miami Heat |
| 59 | SG, SF | Grayson Allen | Phoenix Suns |
| 60 | C | Donovan Clingan | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 61 | SG, SF | Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics |
| 62 | SF, PF | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 63 | PF, C | Kel’el Ware | Miami Heat |
| 64 | SF, PF | Keegan Murray | Sacramento Kings |
| 65 | C | Jarrett Allen | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 66 | SG, SF | Donte DiVincenzo | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 67 | PG, SG | LaMelo Ball | Charlotte Hornets |
| 68 | SG, SF, PF | Brandon Ingram | Toronto Raptors |
| 69 | SG, SF | Desmond Bane | Orlando Magic |
| 70 | SF, PF | Brandon Miller | Charlotte Hornets |
| 71 | PG, SG | Josh Giddey | Chicago Bulls |
| 72 | SG | VJ Edgecombe | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 73 | PG, SG, SF | Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks |
| 74 | SG, SF, PF | Josh Hart | New York Knicks |
| 75 | SF, PF | Jaden McDaniels | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 76 | PG | Payton Pritchard | Boston Celtics |
| 77 | SF, PF | Jalen Wiliams | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 78 | PG, SG | De’Aaron Fox | San Antonio Spurs |
| 79 | C | Deandre Ayton | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 80 | PG, SG | Devin Booker | Phoenix Suns |
| 81 | PG, SG | Ty Jerome | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 82 | SF, PF | Saddiq Bey | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 83 | PG, SG | Tre Jones | Chicago Bulls |
| 84 | C | Myles Turner | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 85 | C | Neemias Queta | Boston Celtics |
| 86 | PF, C | Jabari Smith Jr. | Houston Rockets |
| 87 | PG, SG | Ajay Mitchell | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 88 | PF, C | John Collins | LA Clippers |
| 89 | SF, PF | Miles Bridges | Charlotte Hornets |
| 90 | PG, SG | Jrue Holiday | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 91 | PF, C | Aaron Gordon | Denver Nuggets |
| 92 | SF, PF | Matas Buzelis | Chicago Bulls |
| 93 | SF, PF | Tari Eason | Houston Rockets |
| 94 | PF, C | Pascal Siakam | Indiana Pacers |
| 95 | C | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 96 | SG, SF | Kyshawn George | Washington Wizards |
| 97 | SF | Jaylon Tyson | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 98 | C | Robert Williams | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 99 | C | Isaiah Hartenstein | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 100 | C | Ivica Zubac | Indiana Pacers |
| 101 | PG | Trae Young | Washington Wizards |
| 102 | C | Domantas Sabonis | Sacramento Kings |
| 103 | C | Luke Kornet | San Antonio Spurs |
| 104 | PG, SG | Cason Wallace | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 105 | PG, SG | Anthony Black | Orlando Magic |
| 106 | SF, PF | Peyton Watson | Denver Nuggets |
| 107 | C | Wendell Carter Jr. | Orlando Magic |
| 108 | SG, SF | Ayo Dosunmu | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 109 | SG | Cam Spencer | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 110 | SF, PF | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 111 | C | Jay Huff | Indiana Pacers |
| 112 | PF, C | Santi Aldama | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 113 | SG, SF, PF | Ausar Thompson | Detroit Pistons |
| 114 | PG, SG | Reed Sheppard | Houston Rockets |
| 115 | PF, C | Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic |
| 116 | SF, PF | Dillon Brooks | Phoenix Suns |
| 117 | C | Nicolas Claxton | Brooklyn Nets |
| 118 | SF, PF, C | Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 119 | SG, SF | Julian Champagnie | San Antonio Spurs |
| 120 | PG, SG | Zach LaVine | Sacramento Kings |
| 121 | PF, C | Sandro Mamukelashvili | Toronto Raptors |
| 122 | SF, PF | Royce O’Neale | Phoenix Suns |
| 123 | SG, SF | Devin Vassell | San Antonio Spurs |
| 124 | C | Derik Queen | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 125 | C | Ryan Kalkbrenner | Charlotte Hornets |
| 126 | C | Jusuf Nurkić | Utah Jazz |
| 127 | PG, SG | Andrew Nembhard | Indiana Pacers |
| 128 | C | Moussa Diabaté | Charlotte Hornets |
| 129 | SF, PF | Naji Marshall | Dallas Mavericks |
| 130 | PG, SG | CJ McCollum | Atlanta Hawks |
| 131 | SF, PF | Derrick Jones Jr. | LA Clippers |
| 132 | C | Daniel Gafford | Dallas Mavericks |
| 133 | SF, PF | Keldon Johnson | San Antonio Spurs |
| 134 | C | Dylan Cardwell | Sacramento Kings |
| 135 | PF | Tobias Harris | Detroit Pistons |
| 136 | SG, SF | Moses Moody | Golden State Warriors |
| 137 | SF, PF | PJ Washington | Dallas Mavericks |
| 138 | PG, SG | Miles McBride | New York Knicks |
| 139 | PG | Darius Garland | LA Clippers |
| 140 | PF, C | Al Horford | Golden State Warriors |
| 141 | SF, PF | Jerami Grant | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 142 | SG, SF | Sam Merrill | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 143 | PG | Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 144 | SG, SF | Shaedon Sharpe | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 145 | SG, SF | Max Christie | Dallas Mavericks |
| 146 | PF, C | Isaiah Stewart | Detroit Pistons |
| 147 | SF, PF | Herb Jones | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 148 | SG, SF | Quentin Grimes | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 149 | PG, SG | Brandin Podziemski | Golden State Warriors |
| 150 | SG, SF | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Denver Nuggets |
| 151 | C | Jalen Smith | Chicago Bulls |
| 152 | SG | Cedric Coward | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 153 | PF, C | Bobby Portis | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 154 | SF, PF | Jake LaRavia | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 155 | C | Goga Bitadze | Orlando Magic |
| 156 | PG, SG | Jordan Goodwin | Phoenix Suns |
| 157 | PG, SG | Russell Westbrook | Sacramento Kings |
| 158 | PG, SG | De’Anthony Melton | Golden State Warriors |
| 159 | PG | T.J. McConnell | Indiana Pacers |
| 160 | PG, SG | Stephon Castle | San Antonio Spurs |
| 161 | SF, PF | Toumani Camara | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 162 | SG, SF | Bennedict Mathurin | LA Clippers |
| 163 | SF, PF | RJ Barrett | Toronto Raptors |
| 164 | PG, SG | Davion Mitchell | Miami Heat |
| 165 | PF, C | Dominick Barlow | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 166 | SG, SF | Duncan Robinson | Detroit Pistons |
| 167 | SG, SF | Bilal Coulibaly | Washington Wizards |
| 168 | PG, SG | Kris Dunn | LA Clippers |
| 169 | SG, SF | Aaron Wiggins | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 170 | C | Jock Landale | Atlanta Hawks |
| 171 | C | Jakob Poeltl | Toronto Raptors |
| 172 | SG, SF | Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Miami Heat |
| 173 | C | Mitchell Robinson | New York Knicks |
| 174 | C | Day’Ron Sharpe | Brooklyn Nets |
| 175 | PF, C | Collin Murray-Boyles | Toronto Raptors |
| 176 | SG, SF | Kevin Huerter | Detroit Pistons |
| 177 | PG, SG | Anfernee Simons | Chicago Bulls |
| 178 | SG, SF, PF | Cameron Johnson | Denver Nuggets |
| 179 | SF, PF | Sam Hauser | Boston Celtics |
| 180 | PG, SG | Dru Smith | Miami Heat |
| 181 | SG, SF | Aaron Nesmith | Indiana Pacers |
| 182 | PG, SG | Marcus Smart | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 183 | PF, C | Marvin Bagley III | Dallas Mavericks |
| 184 | SG, SF | Alex Caruso | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 185 | PG, SG | Collin Sexton | Chicago Bulls |
| 186 | SF, PF | Rui Hachimura | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 187 | SF, PF | Javonte Green | Detroit Pistons |
| 188 | SF, PF | Justin Champagnie | Washington Wizards |
| 189 | SG, SF | Vit Krejčí | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 190 | SG, SF | Ziaire Williams | Brooklyn Nets |
| 191 | SG, SF | Luguentz Dort | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 192 | PG, SG | Luke Kennard | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 193 | C | Andre Drummond | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 194 | PF | Kyle Anderson | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 195 | PG | Egor Dëmin | Brooklyn Nets |
| 196 | PG, SG, SF | AJ Green | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 197 | PG, SG | Coby White | Charlotte Hornets |
| 198 | SG, SF | Tre Johnson | Washington Wizards |
| 199 | SG, SF | Isaiah Joe | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 200 | PF, C | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors |
