Santi Aldama is one of the last frontcourt players left standing for the Grizzlies after the trade deadline.
The 2025-26 NBA trade deadline just wrapped, and fantasy basketball rosters are about to look very different. Here’s who’s eating and who’s getting buried in the chaos. But I gotta be honest, there aren’t many waiver wire pickups to make based on the reported moves that were made by Thursday — sigh.
Let’s get to it.
Fantasy Winners
Jalen Smith, FC – Chicago Bulls
Nikola Vučević was shipped to Boston, leaving Smith in an optimal position to take on more frontcourt responsibilities. Here’s my whole take on Smith’s upside, but in summary, I’m projecting he’d be at least a top-60 type of player across formats. The Bulls sold off a few of their key starters, leaving a lot of uncertainty everywhere else — but not for Smith (and Josh Giddey).
James Harden‘s gone, Darius Garland‘s in and Kawhi Leonard‘s usage is about to detonate. The Clippers just handed him the keys to the offense again. Garland’s a complementary piece — not a co-star, plus he’s out with a toe injury. It’s Leonard’s show now, and if he stays healthy-ish, we’re looking at top-10 fantasy upside rest of season. It’s undoubtedly an “if” though.
Bennedict Mathurin, G,FC – Los Angeles Clippers
A new home breeds new opportunity. I love this deal for Mathurin’s fantasy value, as he’ll join Kawhi and Garland as the Clippers’ primary scoring options. He’ll likely get a new contract and be given free rein to cook. I doubt he’s available in many leagues, but I’d hold if you have him rostered.
Santi Aldama, FC — Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis traded Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jock Landale, accelerating the franchise’s development plans. Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke are hurt, leaving Aldama as one of the last frontcourt players left standing for the Grizz. He returned to the court on Wednesday, scoring 12 points with 6 boards in under 25 minutes.
Once the minutes trend back up, he’s a guy I’d want to hold onto for the remainder of the season across formats. Cedric Coward gets a boost here, too, along with Taylor Hendricks, who came over from the Jazz. He’s on my deep league watchlist.
Onyeka Okongwu, FC — Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks added Jock Landale in a minor deal, but Okongwu remains the starting center. Once Okongwu gets his teeth fixed, he’ll be squarely in the top-50 conversation the rest of the way.
Russell Westbrook, G – Sacramento Kings
With Dennis Schröder joining the Cavs, Russ will continue soaking up a majority of PG minutes for the Kings. He’s had a nice resurgence under Doug Christie, averaging 15-6-7 in under 30 minutes per game. The Kings retained all their vets, so even though the team is struggling, they’re not mailing it in yet.
Other winners:
- Wizards’ young core (Tre Johnson, Justin Champagnie and Bilal Coulibaly)
- Naji Marshall – Dallas Mavericks
- Isaiah Collier – Utah Jazz
- Daniel Gafford – Dallas Mavericks
- Jarace Walker – Indiana Pacers
Players on the move — still relevant though
Ivica Zubac, FC – Indiana Pacers
The Pacers made a move to get their big man of the future to pair with Tyrese Haliburton next year. What I don’t know is how much they’ll use him when they’re tanking. Still, he’s an easy double-double no matter the team he plays for.
Ayo Dosunmu, G,FC – Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves made one of the better deals at the deadline. Dosunmu is having a career year, and he’ll step into a Nickeil Alexander-Walker-type role for Minnesota. Ayo is both physical and versatile, and the Wolves will utilize his skill set well. There might be a drop-off in counting stats, but I don’t anticipate it being dramatic enough that he won’t be a fantasy asset. Keep holding.
More on the rest of the fantasy impact from this season’s trade deadline.
