Keeper season always redraws the SlamNation map. This year gave us blockbuster trades, ROY splashes, a few desperate rebuilds, and some franchises that are simply content to ride out the twilight of their legends. Here’s how the sixteen teams stack up heading into the 2026 season. [ 2025 Keeper Cores ]
🏔 Tier 1 — The Mountaintop
CHMK Chunky Monkeys (Evan)
Anthony Edwards is gone, but Evan turned the page by bringing in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dyson Daniels via pre-draft trade. Pair them with Evan Mobley, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson, and the Monkeys are suddenly a frontcourt fortress. Jamal Murray gives just enough backcourt stability to round out a bruising, win-now six. The youth balance of years past has tilted toward immediate dominance — Giannis and Mobley together make this the nastiest inside-out duo in the league. Evan’s pivot proves why the Monkeys are always at the top: adapt, reload, and keep aiming for rings.
SPDE Spade (Randall)
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are still the most unfair pairing in SlamNation, and both are only scratching their ceilings. Tyrese Maxey and Devin Booker provide scoring balance, while Walker Kessler and Tyler Herro add glue around the edges. This roster is absurdly young and absurdly good, a rare combo. Randall didn’t just draft a contender, he drafted a decade-long stranglehold. While others reshuffle and panic-trade, Spade sits calmly on a throne of wingspan and rim protection. In a league designed for churn, Randall may have broken the system with continuity and upside in every slot.
🔥 Tier 2 — Playing with Fire
KSKT Krispy Kreme Team (Matt)
Tyrese Haliburton and Cade Cunningham headline a backcourt that most teams would envy. Zion Williamson is still a franchise cornerstone — or at least a franchise gamble — while Kristaps Porziņģis and Michael Porter Jr. bring similar volatility. Anfernee Simons is the dependable stabilizer. Matt’s team has a title ceiling, but it also has a trapdoor: if Zion, KP, or MPJ hit the injury wall at the same time, the whole structure wobbles. Every week feels like rolling dice, but when the dice land right, KKT can beat anybody.
ILCN Conceived (Frank)
Luka Dončić is still SlamNation’s most bankable guard, and he’s now flanked by Donovan Mitchell, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Darius Garland in the prime of their careers. Paolo Banchero has grown into a nightly matchup problem, and Matas Buzelis (2025 RD3.12) is Frank’s bet on the next wave. This is a homegrown roster through and through, drafted and developed with patience. Luka alone guarantees relevance, and the pieces around him make IL Conceived a perennial threat. Guard-heavy? Sure. But when Luka’s running the show, who cares?
SCRM Screamin’ Eagles (Jordan)
For years, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holding the fort alone. Not anymore. Anthony Edwards gives Jordan the superstar sidekick he’s long needed, Bam Adebayo anchors the middle, and Jalen Duren is blossoming into a reliable center. Scoot Henderson adds another young weapon, while pre-draft acquisition Austin Reaves gives shooting and secondary playmaking. This is a completely different roster than two years ago: young, explosive, and deep. Jordan didn’t rebuild — he reinvented. The Eagles finally look like a team with both present punch and future staying power.
SOUR Sour Snails (Trieu)
Stephen Curry remains the face of the Snails, a keeper since 2010. He’s flanked by Jimmy Butler for toughness, Scottie Barnes as the new-generation core, Miles Bridges for scoring, and Dejounte Murray for versatility. The newest addition is Deni Avdija (2025 RD1.13), who gives Trieu a developmental wing to balance out the vets. The Snails are built to win now while Curry still has magic left, but the window is narrowing. This feels like the last hurrah of the Curry-Butler era, with Barnes and Avdija holding the torch for whatever comes next.
SWMP Swamp Dragons (Eddie)
Nikola Jokić keeps Eddie’s floor higher than most teams’ ceilings. Paul George is still producing at an elite clip, while Jalen Williams and Jalen Johnson are quietly developing into long-term keeper anchors. Deandre Ayton and Zach LaVine are fine role players, though neither transforms the roster. The Dragons are a lock to compete every year with Jokić in the middle, but unless the Jalens truly break through, Eddie may be stuck in very-good-but-not-title-favorite purgatory. That said, nobody wants to face Jokić in a playoff matchup — ever.
🎲 Tier 3 — The Dice Rollers
MELO Melo My Mind (Jack)
Jack finally landed his franchise rookie: Stephon Castle (2025 RD1.7), the Rookie of the Year, immediately looks like the face of the team. Brandon Miller gives him a second young wing to build around. The veterans — Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, RJ Barrett, and Kevin Durant — bring proven production. This is a roster straddling timelines: Castle and Miller set up the future, Durant provides win-now leadership, and the rest hold the middle. If Castle keeps rising, this becomes one of SlamNation’s best balanced rosters. Jack’s patience may finally be paying off.
SBUK So Buckets (Josh)
Joel Embiid still commands the paint, and Kyrie Irving still makes every night a wild ride. Desmond Bane is the rock-solid scorer, and Franz Wagner might be the most well-rounded piece here. The upside comes from Ausar Thompson (2025 RD1.6) and Alex Sarr---acquired for franchise stalwarts Rudy Gobert and CJ McCollum last spring. If either breaks big, Josh suddenly has a two-timeline team. If not, it’s Embiid dragging an inconsistent group. Buckets are dangerous, but fragile. They could win a playoff series on Embiid’s back, or flame out entirely if the gambles stall.
FUNK Funk Coalition (Jon)
Jayson Tatum remains the centerpiece after eight years, but the Funk are still searching for his co-star. Myles Turner and Lauri Markkanen provide stability, while trade acquisition Jabari Smith Jr. is the new flier. Last year's RD1.1 pick Reed Sheppard is the big swing — if he matures quickly, he could finally give Tatum the support he’s lacked. Jakob Poeltl rounds out the six. This is a roster in limbo: solid enough to contend, not quite elite enough to win without a Sheppard breakout. Tatum deserves more, and Jon knows it. Note: Markannen and Turner are on the way out for 2026 draft picks.
🛠 Tier 4 — The Workshop
FJUBS Fat Jubas (Eric)
Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young give this roster offensive firepower, but it’s clearly in transition. Zaccharie Risacher (2025 RD1.10) is the high-upside bet, Isaiah Hartenstein and OG Anunoby are steady but unspectacular, and new trade acquisition Trey Murphy III is the perimeter swing. Eric’s roster is competitive, but it’s really waiting on Risacher to grow into something bigger. Until then, this is a bridge year: points will come, wins less so.
TRUO Truo Thien (Thien)
De’Aaron Fox leads the line, Jalen Green is mid-tier youth, and Julius Randle is the dependable veteran. The intrigue is last year's big men rookies: Zach Edey (2025 RD1.2) and Kel’el Ware, who bring size and potential, while Cam Thomas is the microwave scorer. Thien’s mix is eclectic — part win-now, part long shot. The ceiling depends entirely on how quickly Edey and Green develop. For now, this is still a workshop team, more likely learning lessons than winning rings.
SQSQ Squirtle Squad (Brian)
The nostalgia tour continues: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, and James Harden headline a roster that feels like a Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Derrick White (2025 RD1.12) and Daniel Gafford (2025 RD3.9) provide younger ballast, but the identity is clear. This is about maximizing whatever LeBron and AD have left in the tank. They’ll still win games on name value and nightly explosions, but the future isn’t here. It’s a curtain call, not a coronation.
ABCX Another Bad Creation (Oliver)
LaMelo Ball is the franchise face, but around him it’s all dice rolls. Bennedict Mathurin, Jaden Ivey, Ivica Zubac (2025 RD2.16), last season's great last pick Yves Missi (RD6.16), and new acquisition Josh Gidde--acquired for Ja Morant--complete the six. That’s a ton of youth and variance, with little proven production outside of LaMelo. If one or two of the kids hit, ABCX could surprise people. If not, it’s another year of waiting. Oliver’s approach is clear: all-in on youth, all-out on stability.
BUFF Buffy (Roger)
Roger’s roster is the definition of balance without superstardom. Jalen Brunson leads with consistency, Domantas Sabonis provides nightly double-doubles, and Brandon Ingram, Mikal Bridges, and Andrew Wiggins all fill wing roles. Coby White, last year's pre-draft acquisition gives some youth to an otherwise steady six. This group wins plenty of matchups, but until someone makes “the leap,” Buffy feels capped. Playoff locks, championship long shots.
MEMM Memphis MonStars (Austin)
The UFOS are gone, and the rebrand came with a full-scale exorcism. New owner Austin blew up the roster, flipped Josh Giddey for Ja Morant--and Jabari Smith Jr. for Devin Vassell--and then rebuilt from the ground up. The only survivor from the old UFOS era is Onyeka Okongwu, now joined by Josh Hart, Kawhi Leonard, Keegan Murray, and Nikola Vucevic, all scooped from the dispersal free-agent pool. It’s a brand-new identity: defense, toughness, and an actual star in Morant. This isn’t a teardown, it’s a resurrection. The MonStars look alive, dangerous, and unpredictable.
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