Injuries have limited Lonzo in recent seasons, but he’s still an impactful player when he’s on the floor. Now, he’ll be a strong reserve playmaking option behind Darius Garland. Ball’s addition likely means that Ty Jerome will sign elsewhere in free agency after being one of the best bench options in the league last season. Ball’s departure should also open up minutes for Ayo Dosunmu off the bench as the primary reserve in the backcourt. Reports from April indicated that Ball should be ready to go for training camp after missing the final two months of last season with a wrist injury.

Fresh off their second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves hope to keep most of their core together for another run. Reid, who opted out of the final year of his current deal, has been a key piece off the bench for Chris Finch’s team, and retaining him would be immense. Finch said earlier this month that he expects Reid and Julius Randle to return to the team next season. Reid staying in Minnesota likely keeps him in the sixth-man role, which limits his fantasy ceiling. However, he’s still worth selecting in all league drafts.

The first overall pick in this week’s draft, Flagg will make his summer debut on July 10 when the Mavericks play the Lakers in Las Vegas. And his new head coach already has plans for how the prized rookie will be used. “I want to put him at point guard. … I’m excited to give him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens,” Kidd said, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. This will be something worth tracking, as the Mavericks will miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season as he recovers from a torn ACL. While Dallas is expected to address the point guard position in free agency, there may also be times when Flagg initiates offense if he shows himself capable of doing so.

While the NBA Draft was the focus on Wednesday, with Philadelphia selecting Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe third overall, Morey also had to answer questions regarding Embiid. After undergoing left knee surgery in April, just before the end of the regular season, there were questions regarding the 2023 MVP’s availability for the start of the 2025-26 season. According to Morey, Embiid is on track to be good to go around the time that training camp begins in late September. His injury history will give many fantasy managers pause at draft time, but a healthy Embiid can be one of the best players in the NBA and fantasy basketball.

The Suns will address a glaring need in the frontcourt with the addition of Williams as they bring in another former Hornets center. Khaman Maluach went 10th in the draft to the Rockets, who are expected to send him to the Suns by way of the Kevin Durant trade. Phoenix will have Williams, Maluach and Nick Richards at center if no additional moves are made, meaning one of the bigs will be the odd man out in the rotation.

After his freshman season at South Carolina, CMB had a case to be selected in the lottery last season. However, he opted to return to college for another year and made significant improvements, averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Murray-Boyles projects to be an elite defender, but there are questions about how his offensive game will develop and if standing only 6’7” will limit his impact. However, his near 7’1” wingspan should help with that, and he was a solid playmaker in college. How well his shot develops will be critical. While Murray-Boyles is not a center, the defensive versatility and effort level should mesh well with a Raptors squad that was one of the best defensive teams in the NBA over the final three months of the regular season. His fantasy impact may be limited early on, especially with the need to improve his perimeter shot, but CMB should play rotation minutes.

Demin is considered a polarizing prospect in this class. He’s a 6’9” 19-year-old that is one of the best passers in the draft. That alone is enough for him to have elite upside, however, that is the only thing he definitely has going for him. He shot 27.3 percent from deep and 69.5 percent at the free throw line during his lone season at BYU. He isn’t a great defender. He struggles to create his own shot. Demin averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 three-pointers in 27.5 minutes per game. There aren’t many players of his size that can pass as well as him, but he still comes with a ton of question marks. Fortunately for Demin, he’ll have plenty of room to stretch his wings and work through his growing pains for the rebuilding Nets.

Sure, there are concerns about Fears after some inefficient play at Oklahoma, but he has loads of potential. Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game as an 18-year-old as the focal point of the offense in arguably the toughest conference in the NCAA. He’s a bit undersized, and there are questions about how he’ll impact the game defensively, but Fears is an intriguing offensive talent with the ability to run an offense and create his own shot, both at the rim and from beyond the arc. There aren’t many players in this draft that can get to the rim like Fears. The fit with the Pelicans is a bit curious given the team just traded for a point guard in Jordan Poole and already had Dejounte Murray.

There may not be a better pure scorer in this class than Johnson. He averaged 19.9 points per game for Texas last season, which led all freshmen in Division I. He did that as the focal point of the offense in a tough conference. The 6’6” guard boasts a 6’10.25” wingspan and won’t turn 20 years old until March. Johnson also averaged 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 triples per game. His 42.7 field goal percentage was subpar, but his 39.7 three-point percentage and 87.1 free throw percentage both showcase that Johnson will be a knockdown shooter at the next level. He can create his own shot and knock down catch-and-shoot looks, which makes him a versatile piece to add to any offense. Tre joins a rebuilding Wizards franchise that added three first-round picks to its roster last June. The natural scoring ability should mesh well with a team that is looking for a “No. 1 option” on offense.