Keeper Core Tiers: 2025

Using the same methodology as we did in 2019, here are the keeper cores ranked by pure stats! Math never lies! We did move around some teams though, as context matters. Also, we did look at keeper cores in 2023 as well... so see what has changed in five or two years! Note: Somehow, SPDE and CHMK are back atop these keeper core rankings, five years later, after total rebuilds from both! [ 2019 Keepers | 2023 Keepers ]

T I E R 1

SPDE (24 points)

After hitting jackpot with Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren’s rookie seasons, we can’t overlook Tyrese Maxey’s All-Star campaign as well. Add in the additional backcourt of Devin Booker and Tyler Herro and that covers SPDE on offense and defense. On top of that, Josh Giddey is about to triple-double every night in Chicago, so that just elevates the best keeper core by far in SlamNation. Average age? We’re can’t even tell because the future for SPDE is so bright…or dark, as Wemby and Chet block out the sun for the rest of the league. [Edit: Made a mistake, the sixth keeper is actually Walker Kessler, so basically SPDE is not letting anyone score at the rim, ever.

T I E R 2

ILCN (23)

Carrying over all six keepers from last season, ILCN features Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, and Paolo Banchero as their NBA team’s number one studs. Does Darius Garland or Jaren Jackson Jr. ever make an All-Star team again? Maybe not… Garland had an injury filled year while Jackson desperately needs Morant back to return to his former standing. A semi-lost season left Shaedon Sharpe still a mystery, but he could easily establish himself as Portland’s best player soon. Overall, the one-two-three punch of this team is unmatched from the teams below them.

CHMK (23)

With all the Jalens cashed in, CHMK now has Anthony Edwards, Alperen Sengun, and Bam Adebayo—now the longest tenured Monkey— leading the way for a still evolving keeper core. Evan Mobley and Amen Thompson have a lot of upside to explore, and while neither could hit much offensive growth, they are defensive demons. The only question about this core is Jamal Murray and his oft-injured status. Still, any team with Edwards and Sengun is more than set for the a bright future.

T I E R 3

KSKT (22)

The defending champs return all six keepers from last year and they showed the this core can win championships—when healthy. Tyrese Haliburton elevated himself to top tier status, and Cade Cunningham may follow this season. Zion Williamson, Michael Porter Jr., and Kristaps Porzingis are all huge injury risks, while Anfernee Simons isn’t exactly Mr. Durability himself. Still, this team is very young and only entering their primes. We would push them up higher due to age, but the injury stuff is perhaps too much to count on year after year—except for their championship last year!

SCRM (23)

This team isn’t like the other teams above them, with keeper cores brimming with upside and productivity. SCRM uses the rim attacking duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Anteokounmpo to position themselves up this high—two MVP candidates will do that—while ex-MVP types Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are around as super vet difference makers. Fred VanVleet is a nice fit here as his low percentages are mitigated by the entire roster, and the pre-draft trade for Jalen Duren could net a starting center for this always title chasing team. Note: We moved SCRM down a notch due to the age of the Clippers duo.

SWMP (22)

The many headed center trio for SWMP has finally been diversified, leaving behind Nikola Jokic and Deandre Ayton in the middle. With four wings to flank them in Paul George, Jalen Williams, Jalen Johnson, and Zach LaVine, SWMP is very versatile—albeit arguably lacking a point guard. Rumors had Ayton or LaVine on the move this offseason, but in the end both were retained. With only George on the wrong side of thirty, SWMP has maintained its elite keeper core status.

BUFF (22)

After a huge in-season trade off of homegrown Anthony Edwards, BUFF rode some mega vibes all the way to a Finals appearance last season. Their new leader is Jalen Brunson, who has pre-draft acquisition Coby White behind him, with a fleet of forwards—Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma—surrounding Domantas Sabonis. The future is looking very bright for BUFF as they have an all-under thirty team that looks balanced and deep. They’re still very offensive heavy but as they showed in the playoffs last year, that can work!

SOUR (22)

Olympic hero Steph Curry still rates as one of the best in the game and he just got a lot of scoring help in Immanuel Quickley and Miles Bridges—both draftees from last season—to bolster the offense. Scottie Barnes made an All-Star appearance last season while pre-draft acquisition Dejounte Murray and old hand Jimmy Butler should bring their all-around game to help the center-less SOUR squad. Never one to rest on their laurels, we expect half this team to change over during the course of the 2025 season.

SBUK (22)

Not much changes in SBUK-land, with only Desmond Bane adding onto a core that is usually rock steady—and Bane was acquired during the 2024 draft. Signs of age are coming for SBUK though, as Kyrie Irving, Rudy Gobert, and especially CJ McCollum are getting a little long in the tooth. Hopefully Franz Wagner can find his three point stroke again as he was a real bright spot after his rookie season.

T I E R 4

MELO (21)

Striking gold with Brandon Miller in last year’s draft really bolstered MELO’s core. We can’t overlook their drafting of RJ Barrett as well, as Barrett could have a better chance to shine in tanking Toronto. Jaylen Brown and Pascal Siakam are rock solid All-Stars—more in Brown’s case—while Kevin Durant is, well, still Kevin Durant. Nikola Vucevic is quietly thirty-four years old but still throwing up good counting stats and the memory of Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman as keepers are long gone.

FUNK (20)

Once flanked by Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum is now the lone franchise star amidst a smattering of very good role players. Devin Vassell is another crafty scorer, OG Anunoby and Myles Turner provide defense, while Trey Murphy III and pre-draft trade acquisition Lauri Markannen will spread the floor with plenty of shooting. All the adds up to Tatum plus nothing to get too excited about, barring some more franchise type additions.

T I E R 5

TRUO (19)

A late breaking trade for Jonathan Kuminga adds some more upside to TRUO, but waiting on Kuminga could take some more time. Luckily, Jalen Green has seemingly finally arrived, and he’ll pair with De’Aaron Fox to be a great backcourt. Cam Thomas will get a ton of garbage stats this season too, while Keegan Murray is developing nicely as a role player. And whatever you feel about Julius Randle as an actual NBA player, there’s no doubting his fantasy production. TRUO’s core could easily be ranked higher if Green continues his ascent.

FJUB (18)

A total team makeover has FJUB somehow still near the bottom of the keeper rankings. However, this team now looks a lot younger and a lot better from last season with Jerami Grant, Brook Lopez, and Terry Rozier out the door. Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young headline the new FJUB, with Collin Sexton and new pre-draft trade acquisition Bradley Beal adding some offensive punch. Herb Jones and Isaiah Hartenstein—the only free agent to be selected as a keeper—are indispensable NBA players but their fantasy value isn’t nearly as high.

SQSQ (18)

Where does the Laker duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis lead? Together they are still very productive and quite fearsome—and had a great year last season—but the other keepers definitely look more like a championship chasing core, rather than a rebuilding one. DeMar DeRozan (35 years old), Jrue Holiday (34), and Buddy Hield (32) all easily into their thirties. The franchise savior was supposed to be Scoot Henderson but his struggles have been, well, struggles. Does SQSQ pivot to youth this season or take another swing at contention?

T I E R 6

UFOS (15)

Almost every keeper UFOS took through the dispersal draft had an off season last year—with the possible exception of Jabari Smith Jr., who is coming along nicely. Damian Lillard needs a bounce back year, as does Jordan Poole, while Jarrett Allen and Nic Claxton need health on their side. The last keeper, Onyeka Okongwu still can't beat out Clint Capela for a starting job, but he projects as the same type of big man aas Allen and Claxton. This team was young and talented going into the 2024 season and they could still be in 2025, if you squint a little. All those big men will need to be diversified at some point, but for now it's just collecting talent for UFOS as they head into their second year.

ABCX (15)

Kelly Oubre Jr. again?! After a winless season, ABCX will need to sell some tickets this year, and maybe Oubre Jr. is a great looking guy, but people are paying to watch basketball! The good news is that there’s fresh hope for injury-less seasons from Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball, while Bennedict Mathurin and Jaden Ivery inject a bit of hope for this team in the form of untapped potential. Jonas Valanciunas has been with this team for three seasons now but his sell by date has to be gone after this season, right? We need upgrades across the board here, and some serious doctoring for Morant and Ball’s reputation.

Keepers 2025

Keepers 2024

 

Keepers 2023: Analysis

RUSSELL CONFERENCE

1 FJUB

Eric took home the title in 2021 and will look to do it again with thirty-seven year old Chris Paul still at the helm. CP3 will be joined by surprise keeper Kyle Lowry—who is himself thirty-six years old—and the other new keeper, Devin Vassell. (They replace Tobias Harris and Malcolm Brogdon.) Fred VanVleet is still the offensive heartbeat of the team, and the defensive duo of Myles Turner and Robert Covington make their return as well.

2 CHMK

Looking to stay competitive and relevant, CHMK took home the 2022 Toilet Bowl and could shift to a complete youth movement soon. For now though, thirty-three year old James Harden is still around as the leader of this team, but he now has his successor in place in Desmond Bane, who is one of the best two-guards in the game. With Jordan Poole also breaking out in a big way last season, the need for Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. as keepers is over. Lynchpin defensive ace Mikal Bridges will be flanked by Bam Adebayo and Robert Williams in the frontcourt, and CHMK has the makings of a tremendous future forward keeper core.

3 FUNK

No big changes here, with only Clint Capela taking over for Gordon Hayward, whose time with FUNK was mostly spent with injuries. The super trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum, and Trae Young ranks as one of the best in the league, and DeMar DeRozan had a career year, vaulting himself into the MVP conversation. The starting power forward position should be ably filled by John Collins as well.

4 FOBS

The last few rookie drafts have not been kind for FOBS, with 2020 RD1.12 Rui Hachimura and 2021 RD1.12 Obi Toppin now off the team—Toppin was cut just a few weeks into his rookie season. We’ll see if 2022 RD1.6 Jalen Suggs can pan out, but his rookie season wasn’t encouraging. At least 2022 brought two round-two picks in Saddiq Bey and Keldon Johnson that will join the new keeper core—leaving out Hachimura, Isaac Okoro, and De’Andre Hunter. 2022 was kind of a lost season for FOBS anyway, as Damian Lillard and Jamal Murray were injured for most of the campaign. The lone bright spot last season? Center Jarrett Allen emerged as an All-Star in his first year in Cleveland.

5 TRUO

2022 RD1.2 Jalen Green had a rough start to his rookie season but that didn’t matter quite so much when Thien got his Rookie of the Year in Scottie Barnes—acquired for De’Aaron Fox and Jordan Clarkson. (Fox was acquired for Kemba Walker, Lauri Markkanen, and Andrew Wiggins, which we’ll get to later.) With a league leading four new keepers, TRUO now has Jimmy Butler, Green, Dillon Brooks, and Cole Anthony in the backcourt, with Julius Randle and Barnes as multi-dimensional bruising forwards. That’s the start of something promising and new, right?

6 SWMP

With one of the strongest keeper cores around, 2022 Finals runner-up SWMP didn’t have to do much with the core of Nikola Jokic, Paul George, Zach LaVine, Khris Middleton, and DeAndre Ayton. Jettisoning D’Angelo Russell for the promise of Alperen Sengun was a small surprise, but Sengun looks to be worth a keeper slot. SWMP continues to fall just a bit short of a title but this core is gonna keep them contending for a long time.

7 MELO

The much-debated trade off of Kemba Walker for De’Aaron Fox doesn’t look too terrible in retrospect, if Walker is seen as a sunk cost. After all, MELO received new keepers Lauri Markkanen and Andrew Wiggins back, so maybe Fox for those two are equitable? Kevin Durant is still here, and he’s now got Jaylen Brown as a franchise caliber second fiddle alongside him. Nikola Vucevic is a defensive NBA liability but still an excellent fantasy big man—farewell Andre Drummond!—and the only keeper question here is how much longer it will take James Wiseman to make some sort of impact. Time may be running out for Wiseman…

8 KSKT

After focusing purely on upside for a few years, KSKT may be ready to challenge for a playoff bid behind their backcourt of the future: Cade Cunningham (2022 RD1.1) and Tyrese Halliburton (2021 RD1.4). Add in Anfernee Simons and this is the most promising guard trio in SlamNation! (Cunningham and Simons replace Caris LeVert and Clint Capela as keepers.) And lest we forget, Zion Williamson returns, along with Kristaps Porzingis and Michael Porter Jr. Yes, that’s a lot of potential injuries, but that’s also a boatload of talent.

CHAMBERLAIN CONFERENCE

9 SQSQ

After yet another dominant regular season, SQSQ and Giannis Antetokounmpo found themselves bounced early from the playoffs. The trio of Giannis, LeBron James, and Jrue Holiday are great on paper, but injuries can hit hard with this team, as Jusuf Nurkic and new keeper Caris LeVert are always a bit dinged up. (Not that different from jettisoned keeper Lonzo Ball.) While SQSQ is still title-focused, scooping up Jonathan Kuminga as a sixth keeper—replacing Bogdan Bogdanovich—was a wise move as the rookie showed a lot of promise. The goal remains the same this year for Giannis and Co. though: a SlamNation ring!

10 ABCX

After edging back into the playoffs last year, ABCX shuffled some of their long-toothed veterans around, dumping Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier—and TJ Warren—for Harrison Barnes, Jonas Valanciunas, and Kelly Oubre Jr. While that isn’t the highest upside keepers around, they are steady and will help Ja Morant (2020 RD1.2) and LaMelo Ball (2021 RD1.1) continue on their upward trajectory. The question is what is the worth of Russell Westbrook, who has been long-tenured and still productive, but might be better utilized on a different team?

11 BUFF

No changes for BUFF this year in the keeper core. After landing Anthony Edwards (2021 RD1.6), BUFF has the cornerstone for their new future. And Brandon Ingram and Domantas Sabonis are both top-tier options who aren't even in their primes yet. Heck, even Kyle Kuzma has been a real boon in Washington. Depending on what BUFF can get from Ben Simmons this season, this is a very promising keeper core. It's likely Klay Thompson's keeper days are over after this season, so it'll be interesting who BUFF can find for that slot.

12 SOUR

No owner is less afraid of big trades and Trieu made quite a few last season. Never mind the acquisition of De’Aaron Fox—for Scottie Barnes—SOUR also moved Bradley Beal for Draymond Green, Jerami Grant, and Wendell Carter Jr.! Green may not be a keeper, but Grant and Carter will join Pascal Siakam and Christian Wood to flesh out SOUR’s core—farewell Derrick White and PJ Washington. With reigning champ Steph Curry fully healthy again, SOUR is always gonna be contending, no matter the mix.

13 SBUK

Kyrie Irving got a ring! Irving was SBUK’s 2012 RD1.1 selection, and that isn’t SBUK’s only homegrown keeper. Joel Embiid (2015 RD1.12), Rudy Gobert (2015 RD4.12), and new keeper Jalen Brunson (2022 RD5.11) were all draft selections that stayed on for a SBUK title. (Not all were hits of course, as 2020 RD1.3 RJ Barrett won’t be kept this season. And neither will Miles Bridges.) The new champs of SlamNation will also have longtime SBUK CJ McCollum back, along with 2022 rookie free agent find Franz Wagner. SBUK is talent, semi-young, and now sitting on top of the world!

14 SPDE

The champion that never was… SPDE has long invested into win-now veterans but that ship has likely sailed behind years of injuries. The youth movement—minus Kawhi Leonard and Victor Oladipo—has arrived. 2022 draft picks Josh Giddey (RD1.8) and Tyrese Maxey (RD4.15) should both be keepers for years to come, and they’ll combine with Devin Booker and Tyler Herro to form SPDE’s new core—good bye Eric Bledsoe and Obi Toppin. We’d love to see Leonard and Oladipo shifted off SDPE this upcoming season, as the team is long overdue for an epic overhaul.

15 ILCN

Darius Garland (2020 RD1.4) fully arrived as an All-Star last season and now he’ll join Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell as the homegrown backcourt that could power ILCN into postseason contention. Adding Bradley Beal—at the cost of Draymond Green and Jerami Grant—to that trio is almost criminal. Jaren Jackson Jr. continues to flash his unique upside but there’s also hope that new keeper Onyeka Okongwu could blossom into a stout defender if given more minutes in Atlanta. This keeper core is a little unbalanced but frightfully talented.

16 SCRM 

Landing into the postseason for the first time--their second season in SlamNation--SCRM made their mark in 2022 by knocking out top seeded SQSQ in the first round of the playoffs. That taste of success could be the beginning of something much bigger as SCRM seems to have leveled up all at once. Dejounte Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both made the All-Star team for the first time, OG Anunoby was a D.P.O.Y. candidate, and 2022 RD1.3 Evan Mobley looks like a generational defensive player—no need for Mitchell Robinson or Isaiah Stewart anymore. Oh yeah and Anthony Davis is here, Anthony Davis! And even sixth keeper Terry Rozier isn’t that old. This is a team to watch out for…

Keepers: 2023

Keepers: 2022

Keepers: 2021

Keepers: 2020

2019: Best Keeper Cores

I took the liberty of ranking each keeper player 1-5 points, with five being the absolute gold standard. There were seventeen franchise type guys and that means one per team right? Well, not so fast. Sour Snails boasts three of the gold guys, while Chunky Monkeys and Funk Coalition each have two. That means teams like Fat Jubas, Buffy, and Fob Stars don’t have any!

Still, gold players do not make a keeper core -- although it helps obviously -- and so here with the highly scientific and totally objective keeper core rankings, and here are the 2019 keepers list.

1-3. Spade, So Buckets, Chunky Monkeys (23 points)
Kawhi Leonard leads a keeper core that has remained almost unchanged since coming into the league — save for subbing out Kobe Bryan with Devin Booker. If it weren’t for injuries, this well-balanced keeper core would simply be the best.

Defending champion Monkeys feature LeBron James and James Harden as their one-two punch, and if they hadn’t cut Marc Gasol to keep Kris Dunn, their keeper set would have been even better.

An incredible home grown team, So Buckets has really put together a fabulous core through drafts, trades, and free agents. Joel Embiid leads a top-notch first five that are all All-Stars or above -- oh and then plus Jabari Parker.

4. Sour Snails (22)
Snails finally showed some weakness last season, but their one-two-three punch of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and newly acquired Damian Lillard are the definition of “super team.” But that’s the way it should be for a hard working GM like Trieu. There is a drop-off at the bottom three, but that top trio, whew!

5. Team Thien (21)
Not to be outdone by his brother, Thien has assembled a mighty core himself, led by John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jimmy Butler. While injuries have hit this group hard, if they ever all get healthy, watch out!

6-10. Swamp Dragons, Squirtle Squad, Funk Coalition, Snack Bears, IL Conceived (19)
Swamp and Funk both benefitted from back-to-back Toilet Bowl wins, with Funk hitting on Karl Anthony-Towns and Ben Simmons while Swamp is staring at Markelle Fultz and DeAndre Ayton — who will be a keeper next year, presumably. Funk also have Jayson Tatum as part of their junior Big Three.

Even if Fultz turns into nothing though, Swamp has Nikola Jokic flanked by Paul George and Khris Middleton. This team was so deep that it shed two or three keeper level guys pre-postseason and still had extra keepers to sell off.

As for Squirtle, they are led by the incomparable Giannis Antetokounmpo and some sturdy veterans plus the upside of Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball, making for a nice blend of old and young. The recent ACL tear of Dejounte Murray really hurts though.

Given perfect health, Snack’s new lineup featuring Kristaps Porzingis, Bradley Beal, and Blake Griffin would be quite dangerous, but there are injuries to be wary of here. The key here could be De'Aaron Fox's growth.

IL Conceived features almost R.O.Y. Donovan Mitchell, fellow sophomore Dennis Smith Jr, and Dario Saric as their young core. Add in defensive menace Draymond Green and that's a 4D team waiting to arrive!

11-13. Fob Stars, Fat Jubas, Hilt the Stilt(18)
Fob’s best player is Kemba Walker, who is nice but not quite gold level. The rest of the keepers feature underrated Tobias Harris and two pre-season breakout favorites in Jamal Murray and John Collins.

Fat Jubas is another team without a five-point player, as Chris Paul can’t quite be called “franchise” anymore can he? Jrue Holiday is the CP3’s running mate now and here's hoping newly in shape Myles Turner can finally turn the corner.

New team Hilt the Stilt is led by young vets Victor Oladipo and Andre Drummond, who both made big leaps last season, If Aaron Gordon can do the same to star level, that would be quite a fearsome trio.

14. Another Bad Creation (16)
Just like the real-life Thunder, it’s Russell Westbrook and then Russell Westbrook. Well, LaMarcus Aldridge is actually around but minus the solid upside of Enes Kanter, this keeper core is definitely still working on additional pieces.

15. Team Cameltoe (14)
Anthony Davis is tired of being a solo act and if this collection of super young guys can’t get it done, could The Brow push for a trade to a contender? The second best player on this team is Hassan Whiteside?...

16. Buffy (13)
Raise your hand if you thought Klay Thompson could be the number one on a fantasy team? The good news is that Brandon Ingram should soon elevate himself a level, and the same looks possible with Kyle Kuzma and Domantas Sabonis -- the latter is having a beast of a preseason. This team is screaming for some breakthrough talent though!


Keeper core rankings by conference [Pre-realignment...]:

Keepers: 2019

Keepers: 2018

2017 Keepers

2016 Keepers

2015 Keepers

Keepers: Chamberlain Conference

Time to look at the newly declared keepers for 2014. Last year we took a little spin through each division before the season started, giving a season preview for each squad, but with an expansion draft and then a real draft coming up, we may not have time for that. Instead we'll point you to those capsules from the beginning of the 2013 season -- how times change -- and just look at keeper holdovers. [ 2013 Silverhawks | Transformers ]

Silverhawks Division
Sour Snails
Trieu made huge moves last season, mainly acquiring a whole new set of players in exchange for Kevin Love. He hit jackpot with Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard and then another megatrade for Russell Westbrook gave the Snails a five guard lineup of Lillard, Westbrook, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Monta Ellis. Stick those five around DeMarcus Cousins and we're excited to see where this high powered team can go. Off the roster from last off-season: Love, Josh Smith, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton.

Fat Jubas
Eric (now the only Eric left in the league) underwent a big revamp too, one year after winning the SlamNation championship with a team that featured Steve Nash and Kevin Garnett. Now both are gone and it's rebuilding time. The lone holdovers, Nicolas Batum and Gordon Hayward are both high upside youngsters and Jubas now now feature Marc Gasol and Jonas Valanciunas on the inside with Tyreke Evans and Jeff Green providing mercurial potential on the wings. It's a fond farewell for Nash and KG, but their time as fantasy keepers is done.

Fob Stars
Last year's Fob Stars keepers included Michael Beasley, Emeka Okafor, and Chris Kaman so really, anything should be an upgrade this season. However, Jimmy was a bit slow to move on some trades -- we would have loved to see them be aggressive and get Greg Monroe or Brook Lopez, or both -- and will have Kemba Walker, Dion Waiters, and Gerald Henderson replacing the crap sandwich from last year. The other three holdovers are Zach Randolph, Joakim Noah, and Lou Williams. Can this team continue to upgrade its talent while remaining competitive? Time will tell.

Jedi Knights
We lauded Lum's offseason moves for Amare Stoudemire, DeAndre Jordan, Luis Scola last season but only Jordan proved to be keeper worthy. Now Lum will return Jordan with O.J. Mayo, Thaddeus Young, and David Lee. Greivis Vasquez was acquired via trade -- for Wesley Matthews -- and the other keeper is 2013's RD3 pick, Chandler Parsons. There's a bright future here, if Lum can nail his two first rounders this season, #3 and #4 overall.

Transformers Division
LA Buffy
Even while shuffling his lineup, Buffy remains a strong contender. Out the door goes Danny Granger and Elton Brand, replaced by Jameer Nelson and Raymond Felton -- acquired last mid-season for Andrew Bogut. GM Roger decided he needed to balance out his strong frontline -- Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan -- and give Jeremy Lin some help in the backcourt. This team is still long in the tooth, but obviously effective.

Squirtle Squad
Brian revamped his keeper core quite a bit this past off-season with some big decisions. There was a lot of keeper worthy talent on the Squirtles' roster and management saw fit to trade away Greg Monroe and Brook Lopez. Deron Williams and Ty Lawson, along with Serge Ibaka, are holdovers but Bradley Beal, Tobias Harris, and Nikola Vucevic give this team some intriguing new pieces. Left behind was old stalwart Joe Johnson, who has clearly lost his All-Star luster.

Half Man Half ImAsian
A nice and easy offseason for Oliver. He kept a tight five of Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Anderson Varejao, Ersan Ilyasova, and JaVale McGee. With Rodney Stuckey no longer proving to be keeper worthy, a 2015 RD1 pick was traded away for Greg Monroe. We love the upgrade at here and this could now be an fearsome front line if McGee develops. And let's keep in mind that Oliver gets the #1 overall pick this season after winning the Toilet Bowl. Shock us with Anthony Bennett!

Eron, Joven and Chandler
After a big keeper shakeup last season, his first as an owner, Lucas finds some stability by electing to stick with Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Jeff Teague, and Derrick Favors. New addition Enes Kanter is clearly an upgrade over aging Manu Ginobili, the Spurs' championship dream killer. We're excited to see this team grow from within.

Keepers: Russell Conference

Out of the sixteen first round picks last season, only six became keepers the following year. Here's the full list: Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Dion Waiters, Kenneth Faried*, Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas. The * for Faried is assuming he gets kept by one of the new owners. Does that help value the strength of a first round pick? Who's the say really, as seven second rounders last year were on this year's keeper rosters: Kemba Walker, Thaddeus Young, Jeff Green, Jameer Nelson, J.R. Smith, Bradley Beal, Greivis Vasquez. Maybe even Harrison Barnes and George Hill pending new ownership decisions. [ 2013 Voltron | Thundercats ]

Voltron Division
So Buckets
Josh has slowly acquired some fantastic assets while rebuilding from his expansion season. Kyrie Irving is here to lead the way and last year resulted in LARRY SANDERS! being discovered. He's not the only new face as Moe Harkless will be kept too -- out goes Gerald Wallace and Darren Collison. Pau Gasol, Andre Igoudala, and Evan Turner remain from the previous season.

Super Ninja
There's something to be said for consistency. For the second year in a row, Thien is keeping the same six guys: Dwayne Wade, Paul Pierce, Andrew Bynum, Rudy Gay, John Wall, and Tyson Chandler. (The last players to break that up was Chris Kaman and Raymond Felton in 2011.) We could make an argument for DeMar DeRozan or Nikola Pekovic as keepers, but who would they replace? Now let's see if Thien can keep one team name for the whole season...

MoRRie's Pogiboys
Brandon Jennings, Mike Conley, and Roy Hibbert are back while Tristan Thompson, Marcus Thornton, and Brandon Knight are gone. Last year's overall number one pick, Anthony Davis, is a huge upgrade obviously, and we like a late move for Brook Lopez -- Alvin gave up 2014 RD3, 2015 RD6. New Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith is better than Marcus Thornton ever was, and we think Pogiboys will be able to add another special piece with their #2 overall pick in this year's upcoming draft.

Human Amoebas
This former champ, who looked absolutely unbeatable as recently as 2011, is now going to be sent to the meatpacker. Eric-A's team was never short on talent but injuries ground this team to dust recently. A huge trade for Kevin Love last season -- losing DeMarcus Cousins, Monta Ellis, Andre Drummond, Metta World Peace -- brought in another franchise piece to pair with Derrick Rose. We think the 2014 keeper core could have looked like this: Rose, Love, Dirk Nowitzski, Eric Bledsoe, Paul Millsap, and either Eric Gordon or Harrison Barnes. That would've been something. Instead the Amoebas are no more and the franchise awaits a new owner and keeper core!


Thundercats Division
NJ All-Stars
Lebron James is flanked by Paul George, Kyle Lowry, and Ryan Anderson again. Replacing Isaiah Thomas and Luol Deng as keepers will be Jose Calderon and Spencer Hawes. We are interested in GM Eddie's thinking as he tinkers with the perfect pieces to keep around an incredible forward combo of James and George. When you have King James onboard, there's not a lot else you need!

Chunky Monkeys
One of our die-hard small ball teams, the Monkeys are powered by Chris Paul, James Harden, Goran Dragic, and Jrue Holiday. A trade brought in sharpshooter Wesley Matthews last season, and he will take Aaron Afflalo's spot. The interesting thing is that Andrea Bargnani has been dumped in favor of Markieff Morris, a move we can't quite make a positive or negative call on yet. Strong man David West never fit on this team last year, and will be left to dangle.

100 Acre Wood Heffalumps
The returning champs abdicated the throne and would have left behind a keeper core built around an injured Kobe Bryant. It's safe to say that Al Horford, Kawhi Leonard, and possibly Kevin Martin would have been kept, but after that it would have probably been a combo of Kenneth Faried, Jamal Crawford, and maybe George Hill to displace Kris Humphries and Bismack Biyombo. All that is academic now as this team will be re-drafted.

Funk Coalition
After a year of rebuilding -- with a ton of trades -- Jon has the makings of a team that finally makes thematic sense. Russell Westbrook, Marc Gasol, and Tyreke Evans were moved aside for Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond. Those three will flank Dwight Howard to form a gigantic front line -- with Marcin Gortat left to dangle -- while Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo will collectively shoot the fewest 3PT out of any point guard tandem.

2014 Keepers

We've got two new expansion owners this year taking over for defending champion 100 Acre Heffalumps and former champ Human Amoebas. Sad day!

2013 Keepers

We got started declaring a little late, and we pulled in a new owner (farewell Steve and 2005 All Star Team), so here it is, the keepers heading into the 2013 season!

2012 Keepers

(Re-uploaded 10.21.2013)

2011 Keeper Analysis

What a difference a year makes. After one full season of playing, there were quite a few difficult cuts as owners were tasked with whittling down their rosters to just six keepers. My interest lay in seeing which were the high priced veterans or promising young guys ultimately deemed not good enough. Only four teams stayed pat, having drafted "perfectly." Thien, Jimmy, Chris, and Eric-L all elected to keep their first six selections from the 2010 draft. Technically, so did Trieu but he also has a bonus keeper due to his trade with Mikey.

Who were the toughest cuts? Well out of the first two rounds, nobody was tossed back into the redraft rosters. But Korea Korea's GM Steve decided that Vince Carter wasn't up to snuff and released him despite having invested a high third rounder on him. Similarly, Alvin was on the verge of cutting his third round pick, Caron Butler, but managed to trade him the night before the 2011 draft. Both decisions indicate how far Carter and Butler have fallen in fantasy circles. The other third rounder to hit the chopping block was Pierre's Ben Gordon, which doesn't come as much of a surprise after his lackluster season.

Other big names cut maliciously by their general managers: Mehmet Okur, Baron Davis, Shawn Marion (4th round), Richard Hamilton, Andris Biedrins, Jermaine O'Neal (5th), Leandro Barbosa, Mario Chalmers, Greg Oden, Thaddeus Young, Michael Redd (6th).

What about the other end of the spectrum? Five undrafted free agents made keeper rosters this year: Darren Collison, Jrue Holiday, JaVale McGee, Marcus Thornton, and Serge Ibaka. They all have youth and tremendous upside, and prove that paying close attention during the season can have huge benefits. Wait, that should be obvious. As a starting five, these guys wouldn't be all that bad, especially as they mature.

Other low end draft picks that fought their way into owners' keeper hearts. Corey Maggette (12th round), James Harden (11th), Jamal Crawford (9th), Andray Blatche, Lamar Odom (8th), Jason Terry and Joakim Noah (7th). And there there's Yao Ming, who was a huge X-factor heading into last season. Steve had the foresight to pluck Mr. Yao in the 9th round and even at twenty four minutes a game this year, he should be worth the wait.