Fantasy Basketball Breakdowns of the Latest NBA Signings: Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal and More
Morgan breaks down some of the recent NBA transactions from a fantasy basketball perspective.
It's time to go over some of the recent NBA transactions from a fantasy basketball perspective.
It's been a bit since we did this, so there's a few names to get into.
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Damian Lillard Re-Signs with Portland
Lillard was traded to the Bucks a couple years ago, but after his Achilles injury, the Bucks waived him this offseason and stretched his contract.
Lillard agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal with Portland, which is the only other place he's known in his career. The deal has a player option and no-trade clause.
Lillard isn't likely to play much this coming season, if he plays at all. That's maybe a good thing, because the Trail Blazers have a ton of depth at point guard right now.
Jrue Holiday is still on the roster after his trade from Boston to Portland. Holiday will likely be the starting point guard if he's on the roster when the regular season hits.
Portland has Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and others it could turn to at point guard with Lillard out this season.
I'll be really interested to see how the roster is shaken up over the next year in order to give Lillard a chance to start again starting with the 2026-27 season. The Trail Blazers are on the rise, and they could make some noise this season and especially next year if they stay healthy and together.
Cole Anthony Lands in Milwaukee
Speaking of the Bucks, Milwaukee added Anthony to help replace Lillard.
It was a great landing spot for Anthony, as he might serve as the team's starting point guard. If he doesn't start, he'll likely be the team's top guard option off the bench.
Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. are the projected starting point guard and shooting guard, respectively.
Either way, I see Anthony having a big enough role in Milwaukee to be a real fantasy asset. He'll likely start the upcoming season as a deep-league fantasy asset, but could work his way into standard leagues with a big enough role and production.
The signing of Anthony is a detriment to the fantasy outlooks for Ryan Rollins, Gary Harris and AJ Green a bit. It also probably means Andre Jackson Jr. is no longer going to be a Buck.
The Bucks really don't have any great guards, but they at least have some depth there. They could use a player like Green to add to Kyle Kuzma in a deal to get a better small forward, which is the weak spot on the roster right now.
Bradley Beal Lands in LA
After being let go by Phoenix, Beal signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
This was about as good a landing spot as possible for Beal and his fantasy outlook. He'll likely start alongside James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins and Ivica Zubac. That'll mean Beal isn't the top option, but has the chance to shine in a secondary role.
Add in Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr. and Brook Lopez and the Clippers look like a good enough team to make some serious noise in the Western Conference.
Availability will be massive with this team, but if everything comes together, LA could be a dangerous team come playoff time.
Beal should see his fantasy outlook drop from past seasons, but he'll still remain a good daily option. He might be a sleeper going into next season.
Signing Beal doesn't really affect that many fantasy outlooks in LA. Maybe Dunn doesn't have as large a role, but Harden, Leonard and Zubac are going to remain top-end fantasy options. Collins maybe takes a little hit, but if he can impact the game in other ways, he can still be a good fantasy asset.
Bogdanovic might also see a few less minutes now, but outside Dunn, there's not much wing depth, so Bogy should still get plenty of minutes.
Other Re-Signings
Players re-signing with their teams doesn't really impact fantasy outlooks much, because they've already been on the roster.
There have been some notable players who have signed of late, so I at least want to mention some.
Among the notable fantasy players who have re-signed are Julius Randle, Santi Aldama, Naz Reid, Herbert Jones, Tre Mann, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Devin Booker and Davion Mitchell.
