The NBA regular season has come to a close. While we still have plenty of exciting playoff action to enjoy, fantasy basketball managers already have their sights set on next season. Let's get to making some early proclamations with the following five bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
Anthony Edwards will lead the NBA in scoring
Prior to this season, Edwards had never averaged more than 25.9 points per game. Part of that was because he was sharing the scoring load with Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns averaged at least 20.8 points per game in all four seasons that he played with Edwards. Towns also had a usage rate of at least 27.4% in three of those seasons.
With Towns now on the Knicks, Edwards averaged a career high 27.6 points per game, which ranked fourth in the NBA behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.7), Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.4) and Nikola Jokic (29.6). Edwards had a hefty usage rate at 31.4%, but the biggest reason for his increase in scoring was that he averaged 4.1 three-pointers per game. He attempted a whopping 10.3 three-pointers per game, but still shot 39.5% from behind the arc despite his spike in attempts. Still entering the prime of his career, don't be shocked if Edwards averages over 30 points per game and leads the league in scoring next season.
Kevin Durant will be traded to the Mavericks
It seems like Durant's days with the Suns are numbered. There were rumors that the Suns tried to move him at the
The NBA regular season has come to a close. While we still have plenty of exciting playoff action to enjoy, fantasy basketball managers already have their sights set on next season. Let's get to making some early proclamations with the following five bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
Anthony Edwards will lead the NBA in scoring
Prior to this season, Edwards had never averaged more than 25.9 points per game. Part of that was because he was sharing the scoring load with Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns averaged at least 20.8 points per game in all four seasons that he played with Edwards. Towns also had a usage rate of at least 27.4% in three of those seasons.
With Towns now on the Knicks, Edwards averaged a career high 27.6 points per game, which ranked fourth in the NBA behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.7), Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.4) and Nikola Jokic (29.6). Edwards had a hefty usage rate at 31.4%, but the biggest reason for his increase in scoring was that he averaged 4.1 three-pointers per game. He attempted a whopping 10.3 three-pointers per game, but still shot 39.5% from behind the arc despite his spike in attempts. Still entering the prime of his career, don't be shocked if Edwards averages over 30 points per game and leads the league in scoring next season.
Kevin Durant will be traded to the Mavericks
It seems like Durant's days with the Suns are numbered. There were rumors that the Suns tried to move him at the trade deadline as their roster had major flaws that prevented them from even making the Play-In Tournament. Durant is a huge name that might seem like he would bring back a haul in a trade, but he will be 37 years old entering next season and only has one season left on his contract. It's a hefty number, though, at $54.7 million. Still, given his age and length of contract, a team looking to acquire him likely won't need to completely mortgage their future in a trade.
A team desperate to win now is the Mavericks, who have taken a ton of heat from fans and the media for trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Kyrie Irving has a nearly $44 million player option for next season, which he might pick up as he recovers from a torn ACL. There's a real chance that he doesn't play again until at some point in 2026. The Mavericks want to win now, so look for them to try and make a splash and garner some positive headlines by making a trade for Durant.
Immanuel Quickley will finish inside the top-20 in the NBA in total three-pointers made
Quickley entered this season with lofty fantasy expectations. As one of the building blocks of the Raptors, he was poised to play a ton of minutes and be one of the focal points of their scoring attack. However, he got hurt in their first game. By the time January 1 rolled around, Quickley had played in a total of just three games. As the team continued to pile up losses, Quickley then had to deal with rest days down the stretch. He finished the season by appearing in just 33 games.
While Quickley was on the floor, he was productive, especially from behind the arc. He averaged 2.6 three-pointers per game and shot 37.8% from deep. For his career, he has shot 37.5% from three. The top-20 players in the league in total three-pointers made this season all made at least 200 of them. Quickley made 171 three-pointers in 2023-24 and 168 in 2022-23. With better injury luck, the potential for the Raptors to be improved and them at least trying to make the Play-In Tournament, Quickley has a path to making at least 200 three-pointers next season.
Onyeka Okongwu will finish inside the top-10 in the NBA in total double-doubles
Fantasy managers have long been clamoring for Okongwu to take over as the starting center for the Hawks. While Clint Capela wasn't bad, it was clear that Okongwu had significant upside. The Hawks finally made the move, inserting Okongwu into the starting five towards the end of January. Over his final 41 games in that role, Okongwu averaged 14.9 points and 10.0 rebounds. That included him posting 19 double-doubles.
Domantas Sabonis led the league with 61 double-doubles this season. The top-10 players all finished with at least 40 double-doubles. In just half a season as a starter, Okongwu racked up 19 double-doubles. He doesn't even turn 25 years old until December, so as he becomes even more comfortable as a starter, he should continue to be a nightly double-double threat. If he can stay healthy, a season with at least 40 double-doubles and a top-10 finish in the category could be coming.
Matas Buzelis will be a top-100 player in nine-category leagues
The Bulls started their youth movement in the offseason when they moved on from DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. Their big addition was Josh Giddey, who was entering just his fourth season in the NBA. The Bulls further dove into the changing of the guard by dealing Zach LaVine to the Kings at the trade deadline. Still, the Bulls made the Play-In Tournament thanks to the likes of Giddey, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic.
Buzelis finished this season ranked 153 in nine-category leagues. That put him behind players including Haywood Highsmith (150), Justin Champagnie (143) and T.J. McConnell (131). However, that doesn't tell the entire story. He also played a key role in helping the Bulls surge down the stretch, starting each of their final 31 games. In that role, he averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.7 three-pointers. He also shot 47.3% from the field and 80.6% from the free-throw line. Maybe his most encouraging stat was that he averaged 18.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.7 blocks over the 10 games in which he logged at least 30 minutes. He also shot 51.5% from the field and 90.9% from the free-throw line in those games.
The Bulls have high hopes for Buzelis, so he has a clear path to being their starting power forward next season. Not only that, but he could see 30 minutes a night on a regular basis. He could easily land inside the top-100 in nine-category leagues.
