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…