Fantasy Impact for 2025-26 Trade Candidates

We’re running this article back for a fourth year, and it’s one of my favorites to write for the Draft Kit. In this column, we’ll go over some trade rumors and how to play it from a fantasy and best ball perspective. 

I’ll go over the fantasy-relevant rumors here and won’t be hitting the back-end roster guys (excluding the Nets). This will just be a quick-hit style article without many stats. Let’s get to it!

Rumors | Likely to be traded | Decent chance for a move | Some buzz

Rumors

The Kawhi Leonard Saga

If you have been following the news, Pablo Torre continues to report on Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers possibly circumventing the salary cap. I would check out Pablo Torre Finds Out for more, but basically Leonard was paid $28 million by a company called Aspiration and he did nothing. There’s a lot of evidence against Kawhi and the Clippers.

While I’d still consider it unlikely that something meaningful happens to Kawhi, the chance of him missing time adds some potential value.

Fantasy impact: Leonard carries so much risk. His ADP in best ball has dropped almost a round, and he’ll sometimes go in the mid-60s. I probably wouldn’t take Kawhi at ADP, but he’s worth it slightly after. I probably wouldn’t take the role players with him, though. On the other hand, there’s some untapped potential for the Clippers with the Kawhi situation. James Harden and Ivica Zubac may have some added value to their strong fantasy appeal. I also take a ton of Bradley Beal and John Collins with those two guys possibly getting multiple rounds of value.