A year after the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster swap with Minnesota, fantasy managers should recalibrate. Towns recounted the trade as a tough breakup after nine seasons in Minnesota, a move that sparked two teams to fresh playoff runs. Minnesota rode its core into a deep 2023-24 postseason and New York rode that momentum to the Conference Finals in 2024-25. With Towns now in Knicks colors and a coaching shift on the horizon, Towns and Edwards loom as big fantasy needs as the season nears.

Expect Towns to anchor the Knicks offensively while Edwards remains the engine for Minnesota. The roster shakeup puts Towns’ usage in focus and raises questions about fit with the Knicks guard corps. For fantasy players, tracking offensive efficiency, pace, and the new playbook approach will be key as both teams chase higher ceilings this season.

Justin Champagnie’s breakout with Washington makes him a true fantasy sleeper. After a two-way start, he earned a multi-year deal and stepped into expanded minutes when Kuzma was moved, delivering efficient scoring and solid rebounding. The Statistical Doppelganger Machine matched him to Aldama, DiVincenzo and Siakam-type forwards, signaling a versatile path with scoring, defense and growth upside.

With a small sample (about 1,340 minutes), risk remains, but Washington’s rebuild creates opportunity. If he maintains development, Champagnie could become a late-round target—a multi-position wing who contributes points, boards and defensive stats, with room to grow into a higher ceiling.

Donte DiVincenzo went public with a loud endorsement for Tom Thibodeau, calling him the best while addressing a team poll that aimed to crown the NBA’s worst coach. The message echoes a season that proved pivotal for DiVincenzo: his best of his career in New York, where he logged heavy minutes, poured in 40 percent from deep, and shined in the playoffs, including a dramatic game-winner against Philadelphia in the first round.

That praise surfaces as Thibodeau was dismissed by the Knicks and replaced by Mike Brown, while DiVincenzo shifted to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Minnesota’s roster now leans on DiVincenzo’s shooting and playmaking as they chase a deeper playoff run alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and others. The piece notes the Knicks’ six-game exit to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals, framing the Thibodeau era in a coaching‑comparison lens that could color how fantasy managers view his former stars moving forward.

For fantasy enthusiasts, DiVincenzo’s Knicks season provides a blueprint: strong three-point shooting, steady minutes, and playoff scoring punch can translate to elevated usage and fantasy upside in a new setting. Minnesota’s offense could harness his off‑ball sh ar e, ball handling, and shot creation as the Wolves chart a path toward a deeper postseason push, while the Thibodeau‑era narrative adds a coaching‑fit angle to early‑season projections.

Josh Hart's Lakers jersey history is a thread through the franchise's most formidable eras. Hart, Villanova standout, was part of the Lakers’ shuffle between Minneapolis roots and modern Purple and Gold stature, a path that led him to become a multi-faceted contributor across three NBA stops: Lakers, Pelicans, Knicks. His rise with New York underlined a modern fantasy profile: elite rebounding for a guard, defensive grit, and multi-spot scoring. The trade trajectory around Anthony Davis and the accompanying pieces (Thomas Bryant, Tony Bradley) shows how roster moves ripple fantasy upside. Hart's 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game across 77 starts last season illustrate his value as a high-floor, multi-cat asset in dynamic lineups. LeBron James’s era and Davis’s presence frame Hart’s ceiling, while his Knicks stint highlighted how the guard’s hustle and playmaking anchor team success. The Lakers’ lineage—from the Minneapolis days through Kobe and beyond—gives Hart a legacy-long runway in fantasy discussions.

The Oklahoma City Thunder capped a historic 68-win regular season with a championship ring, and Isaiah Joe emerged as the pivotal outside weapon off the bench. Joe posted a career year, averaging 10.2 points while shooting 41.2% from long range on 6.1 attempts per game, and he did so with 82.1% from the stripe and a 61.7% true shooting. His shooting volume translated into a sizable 17.2% usage rate and 5.1 win shares while providing a reliable floor-spreader that allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to attack with space. Joe wasn’t merely a catch-and-shoot option; he flashed athletes’ versatility, showing off occasional transition bursts and a willingness to attack when defenses overhelp. His career-best 33-point game underscored that he can explode when given runway. The Thunder locked him in with a 2025-26 salary of $12.4 million, with two more years of team control (2026-27 at $11.3M; 2027-28 at $11.3M with a team option). The Arkansas native has evolved from a late 2022 training camp invite into a trusted, high-volume shooter who can soak up minutes and space the floor for drive-heavy stars. Moving forward, continued shooting volume and durability will determine Joe’s ceiling as a fantasy asset and a core piece of OKC’s repeat-contender plan.