NBA 2K26 unveils its Top 100, and the Dallas Mavericks punch three players into the elite group: Anthony Davis sits at No. 12 with a 93 overall, Kyrie Irving is right behind at No. 24 with a 90, and Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the draft, lands at No. 79 with an 82. Flagg earns a special nod as the game’s top rookie, surpassing Dylan Harper by four points. The list also notes that PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford did not crack the Top 100 this year.

Irving’s ACL rehab will shape early-season usage, while Davis is anticipated to shoulder Mavericks’ heavy lifting as the primary option. Lively II and Gafford are highlighted as solid shot-blocking talents (both at 91), and the game assigns Jokic and Curry standout mid-range and ball-handling benchmarks. Irving’s ball-handling reaches 99; Jokic sits at 98 mid-range, while Thompson checks in with 89 from deep. The release schedule lands Sept. 5 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with early access on Aug. 29 for deluxe versions. Dallas fans also get a preseason test versus Oklahoma City in Fort Worth ahead of the full launch.

Kevin Durant’s move to the Houston Rockets redefines the Southwest. Houston, fresh off a 52-win surprise and a playoff flirtation, adds elite scoring and high-level playmaking in Durant, pairing him with Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun. The frontcourt depth arrives with Clint Capela and Dorian Finney-Smith, while Josh Okogie helps the wings. The offense should surge from 114.3 points per game, and the Rockets look like the team to beat in the division, with a real shot to challenge the West’s top-tier teams.

Dallas reloads around Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg after a controversial season, with Irving’s ACL trajectory a major x-factor. Flagg, taken No. 1 in 2025, joins a lineup that could feature Irving, Klay Thompson, Flagg, Davis and Dereck Lively at full strength—defensive length and offensive load rise accordingly. San Antonio stays on its rebuild path with Victor Wembanyama returning, Dylan Harper added at No. 2, and depth bolstered by Olynyk and Kornet, aiming for a Play-In push rather than a quick turnaround. Memphis contends with life after Desmond Bane, leaning on Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. for defensive cohesion and scoring, while New Orleans faces health uncertainties with Zion Williamson as the hinge for postseason hopes.

Overall, the division’s balance tilts toward the Rockets at the top if Durant stays healthy, with the Mavericks quietly reloading and the Spurs emphasizing development. The Grizzlies and Pelicans carry questions about ceiling and health, but the Southwest remains densely competitive heading into 2025-26.

Mavericks at Lakers on February 12 isn’t just a marquee clash; it’s a deliberate bridge to All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. The NBA ties a high-profile game to the events unfolding across two LA arenas, turning Thursday night into the unofficial kickoff for elite-week festivities. Amazon Prime will stream the game, signaling a widening broadcast footprint beyond traditional outlets and hinting at the fantasy and betting implications of a weekend that bleeds into Dallas and LA in one sweep.

LA hosts the spectacle with two teams and two arenas—Lakers at Crypto.com Arena and Clippers at Intuit Dome—creating a city-wide hub of energy that should shorten commutes for top weekend players like Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg. Dallas’ own storyline centers on Luka Doncic, whose much-anticipated return and the Texas showdown narrative set the table for big early-season moves in fantasy lineups and daily-betting angles as the league leans into a TV-driven spectacle.

Texas showdowns, Doncic’s re-emergence, and the All-Star ambience collide to create fresh fantasy pivots and risk-reward considerations. This isn’t just a schedule quirk; it’s a crafted moment where performance, travel, and broadcast value intersect, elevating the Mavericks-Lakers clash from a standalone game to a cornerstone event that resonates through DFS, season-long projections, and wager-hedging narratives as the season accelerates toward All-Star weekend.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2025-26 schedule is packed with marquee nights, and fantasy managers should pounce on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the engine of OKC’s title chase. With roughly a third of the games nationally televised, opportunities to stack fantasy points on prime-time nights will be plentiful. The top-10 slate includes Opening Night against Kevin Durant and Houston, a multi-lesson road swing including a showdown with Denver, a Christmas Day hosting of Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio, and several high-profile rematches like OKC’s clash with Indiana and a trip to New York. The calendar also features a Denver-OKC on the road, and a Martin Luther King Jr. Day tilt with Cleveland, signaling a season rich in fantasy leverage for the Thunder’s core and the league’s rising stars.

Beyond Shai, the piece flags Cooper Flagg’s NBA debut against Dallas as an early spark, and teases potential breakout moments from Wembanyama in Dallas’ arena during a holiday game. It also emphasizes the return-to-form narrative around Durant in Opening Night and the West’s evolving depth, which could create compelling cross-ownership fantasy angles as OKC positions itself as a legitimate title contender again. The scheduling contrast between OKC’s young talent and the league’s veteran heavyweights will shape both fantasy lineups and sportsbook bets all season long.

Cooper Flagg anchors NBA 2K26’s rookie wave, landing an 82 overall to begin his Dallas Mavericks career as the top-rated newcomer. He sits 79th overall league-wide, ahead of notable rookies Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe, who come in at 78, 77 and 76 respectively. The game also features Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the Standard Edition cover star for OKC, Carmelo Anthony for the Superstar Edition, and Angel Reese for the WNBA Edition, underscoring the cross-era hype around this rookie class. Flagg’s path in Dallas will be watched closely, given his Duke-driven college dominance and Summer League showing where he posted strong scoring and versatility. The mix of high expectations for Flagg and the presence of established stars around him sets the stage for a high-variance, fantasy-friendly rookie season that could unlock immediate opportunistic value in deeper leagues while demanding patience in shallower formats. The 2K26 release window is set for Sept. 5, adding another layer of anticipation for fantasy managers mapping out early-season strategies.