Fantasy Basketball Impacts of Harden, Thompson and DeRozan Moves

We had a few bigger NBA transactions over the past couple days, so let's discuss all of them here!

We will go over James Harden, Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan. Let's dive right in!

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Harden Finally Re-Signs with Cleveland

Harden was expected to re-sign with the Cavaliers all offseason, and he finally did on Thursday, agreeing to a three-year pact worth $97 million. The deal includes a player option and trade kicker.

The nearly 37-year-old Harden has played 17 years in the NBA, and he still has gas in the tank. Over 70 games between the Clippers and Cavaliers last year, he averaged 23.6 points, 8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks over 34.8 minutes a night.

He will power a backcourt in Cleveland that also includes Donovan Mitchell. The newly-acquired Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are projected to start as well. That's a very good starting five, and means the team should easily make the playoffs in 2026-27.

The depth of the team is what keeps them a peg or two below the top contenders in the league though. 

Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Thomas Bryant, Nae'Qwan Tomlin and Mario Hezonja are the depth options. The Cavs simply need more than that to compete with the Knicks and 76ers in the Eastern Conference, and Thunder, Spurs and more in the Western Conference.

With the lack of depth around, the starters should be really good fantasy assets for the coming year. Harden should be a high-level asset again, even as he nears the end of his career.

Right now, Harden's average draft position is 17.78. We all expected him back in Cleveland, so don't expect that to move too much. That's a solid spot to draft him at - as long as he's healthy in 2026-27, he should be able to make that draft selection a good one for you.

Thompson Joining Heat After Buyout

Thompson and the Mavericks agreed to a buyout of his $17.5 million deal, and he then signed a two-year deal with Miami worth $13 million. There's a player option in the second year.

The 36-year-old wanted to play the final years of his career with a contender, and he got his wish. Thompson has played 13 years in the NBA, and played in 69 games in 2025-26 with Dallas. 

Over 21.7 minutes a night, he averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks a night. He's regressed as a scorer in each of the past four seasons - that shouldn't be a surprise, as his playing time has dipped in each year.

Thompson is likely to come off the bench for Miami, who have Tim Hardaway Jr. and Andrew Wiggins as the starters at the 2 and 3 spots that Thompson primarily plays. He could also slide to the 4, where Giannis Antetokounmpo is anchored. 

Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell are the other two projected starters for Miami. It's a pretty solid starting five, but again, the depth is lacking a bit. The addition of Thompson helps a bit, but on the back nine of his career, he's not a huge addition.

Dru Smith, Ryan Conwell, Pelle Larsson, Bobby Portis and Nikola Jovic are some of the other depth options on the team. There's a little talent in there, but there's nothing special either.

The Heat are a couple steps below the top contenders in each conference, so while a playoff appearance looks likely, a deep postseason run doesn't.

Expect Thompson to top out as a deep-league fantasy asset at most times in the coming season. He could have stretches where he's worth owning in all leagues, but it'd probably take injuries ahead of him to get there.

Nuggets Land DeRozan

DeRozan was let go by the Sacramento Kings earlier this offseason, and Denver emerged as the top landing spot. It was made official a couple days ago, with DeRozan and the Nuggets agreeing on a one-year deal worth $3.9 million.

The 37-year-old is joining his fifth team. DeRozan has played 17 years in the league so far. Across 77 games last year in Sacramento, DeRozan averaged 31.2 minutes, 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.3 blocks per game.

He has a chance to start for Denver, but is projected by most to come off the bench. The Nuggets have Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic as likely starters. DeRozan could replace Braun, Johnson or Gordon if the team chose to go that route.

DeRozan adds a decent bench option, at worst, to the roster. Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, Spencer Jones, Marvin Bagley III, Lonnie Walker IV, Alpha Diallo and Zeke Nnaji are among the depth options.

Regardless of who starts for Denver, I see DeRozan playing enough each night to be a pretty good fantasy asset. He's at pick 63.67 on average, and I'm curious to see where that moves now that we know his landing spot. He's one to own in all leagues, but that ADP is a touch rich for me at first glance.

We will get more into ADPs as the weeks pass and the new season approaches, so keep checking back for more fantasy basketball coverage!