If you have the Pistons’ Ausar Thompson and Cade Cunningham on your fantasy team, don’t let them go.
In this article, we’ll break down the Best Keeper and Upside Keeper for all 15 Eastern Conference franchises — blending current production with future potential. Whether you’re building around proven All-Stars like Tyrese Haliburton and Giannis Antetokounmpo, or hunting for breakout potential with Bennedict Mathurin, Jalen Johnson or Matas Buzelis, this guide offers a detailed look at which players to hold tight and which ones could explode in value down the line.
Check out the Western Conference Keepers Guide.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Best Keeper: Darius Garland
2024-25 FP/G: 35.7
Don’t worry, Evan Mobley is listed below. This was a tough call between Garland and Donovan Mitchell, but Garland took a step forward while Mitchell took a step back. Garland is also three years younger, which broke the tie. Issues staying healthy have limited some of Garland’s accolades, but he’s turning 26 next year and is a two-time All-Star who averaged an efficient 20.6 points and 6.7 assists for a 64-win team.
Upside Keeper: Evan Mobley
2024-25 FP/G: 39.8
Mobley gets pushed to the upside section on a technicality – that being there are no other young players with significant upside on Cleveland’s roster. I understand the case for Ty Jerome, but we’d really be banking on him landing a starting job elsewhere. Mobley is turning 24 years old and just won Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year in addition to making his first All-Star game. He took the offensive leap we’d been waiting for, averaging 18.5 points on 55.7 FG% while hitting 1.2 3-pointers at 37.0%. He also grabbed 9.3 rebounds, dished 3.2 assists and racked up 1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals in his 30.5 minutes.
Boston Celtics
Best Keeper: Jayson Tatum
2024-25 FP/G: 48.0
Despite presumably losing all of next season due to an Achilles tear, Tatum may still be the best keeper on Boston. He’s two years younger than Jaylen Brown, and Tatum has a game that should be able to translate with diminished athleticism. It may be best for some fantasy managers chasing a title next year to deal him. But even in that case, he should still draw the biggest return haul of anyone on the team.
Upside Keeper: Payton Pritchard
2024-25 FP/G: 26.2
Pritchard is surprisingly turning 28 years old next season, but he could thrive amid what is expected to be a tumultuous Boston roster for the next couple of seasons. He’s coming off winning Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year and averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes. Acquiring him or keeping him would be a win-now move for fantasy managers.
New York Knicks
Best Keeper: Karl-Anthony Towns
2024-25 FP/G: 46.8
This is a close call between Towns and Jalen Brunson. The latter is a year younger and the face of the Knicks, but KAT has superior fantasy value. He also plays center, which is a position of scarcity in fantasy basketball, and his ability to hit 3-pointers is rare from the position. He’s also improved as a rebounder and shot-blocker playing for the Knicks, delivering first-round value.
Upside Keeper: Miles McBride
2024-25 FP/G: 20.2
McBride’s role has grown every season with the Knicks since he was in the early second round in 2021. He’s entering his age 25 season and has been effective as a 3-and-D point guard. Investing in McBride may be taking a gamble that he, at some point in the near future, is no longer on the Knicks and placed in an expanded, starting role. Over the past two seasons, he’s produced per-36-minute averages of 14.5 points with 2.8 made 3-pointers, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
Indiana Pacers
Best Keeper: Tyrese Haliburton
2024-25 FP/G: 41.4
Haliburton had a slow start to the season but picked up his form after the New Year. He averaged 19.5 points on 51/43/85 shooting, 9.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his final 39 regular-season appearances, and he shined in the postseason as the Pacers made the NBA Finals. Entering his age-25 season, he’ll again be worth a top-10 selection in redraft formats and is proving to be one of the best guards in the league.
Upside Keeper: Bennedict Mathurin
2024-25 FP/G: 26.4
Indiana has a few candidates for this, including Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Jarace Walker. Even though Mathurin’s playoff run has been less than stellar, he’s probably your best upside keeper option in the long term. Improvement as a passer and defender is important for Mathurin, and that’s something you’ll have to put faith in him achieving. But he’s already a talented scorer at 22 years old, averaging 20.2 points on 45/34/82 shooting per 36 minutes. Notably, that comes with 6.1 free-throw attempts – a high number for a young wing of his size.
Milwaukee Bucks
Best Keeper: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2024-25 FP/G: 57.4
This team is set to potentially undergo some big changes in 2025-26. Will Antetokounmpo even be on the Bucks? Regardless, he’s the best keeper option available. This past season marked his seventh straight finishing top 4 in MVP voting. Over the past three years, he’s averaged no fewer than 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks. He’ll slow down eventually, but there were no signs of it in his age 30 campaign.
Upside Keeper: Kevin Porter Jr.
2024-25 FP/G: 21.8
Milwaukee doesn’t have many high-upside young players, so Porter gets the nod here almost by default. He’ll be entering his age 25 season but continues to bounce around the league and saw just 19.8 minutes per game in 2024-25 between the Clippers and Bucks. The per-36-minute numbers remain tantalizing, at 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals.
Detroit Pistons
Best Keeper: Cade Cunningham
2024-25 FP/G: 48.0
Cunningham should be a first-round selection in fantasy next season after putting together his first All-Star campaign at 23 years old for the up-and-coming Pistons. He averaged 26.1 points and 2.1 3-pointers on 47/36/85 shooting, 9.1 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 combined steals-plus-blocks. There aren’t many more valuable keeper options in the NBA than Cunningham.
Upside Keeper: Ausar Thompson
2024-25 FP/G: 25.3
This is a tough call between Thompson, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren – and I admit I may be giving Thompson a bump because of his brother’s development. Thompson got a slow start to the year after dealing with a blood clot issue and didn’t see 30 minutes in a game until late January. Still, he’s established himself as one of the most disruptive wing defenders in the NBA, and he’s showing strides on offense, establishing new career highs in scoring volume, efficiency and assists. Thompson’s role may not have perfect clarity, but he averaged 16.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes as a 22-year-old.
Orlando Magic
Best Keeper: Paolo Banchero
2024-25 FP/G: 43.3
An early-season oblique injury prevented Banchero from racking up accolades, but he played at an All-Star level for a second straight season. In just his third year, he averaged 25.9 points with 1.9 made 3-pointers on 45/32/73 shooting, plus 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Orlando is young and trending in the right direction with Banchero as its franchise player.
Upside Keeper: Franz Wagner
2024-25 FP/G: 40.6
Players like Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black were also options here, but Wagner took a leap this season and isn’t meaningfully older. His 3-point shooting again took an odd dip, but Wagner still averaged 24.2 points on 46/30/87 shooting with 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals. There are plenty of rebuilding teams that would love him as their No. 1 option, but he’s settled in nicely alongside Banchero.
Atlanta Hawks
Best Keeper: Trae Young
2024-25 FP/G: 44.7
Despite being only 26 years old, Young long ago established himself as a walking 25-and-10 and someone worthy of selecting in the late-first to early-second rounds of fantasy drafts. Barring a major shakeup in Atlanta, he remains the go-to option as the team’s point guard.
Upside Keeper: Jalen Johnson
2024-25 FP/G: 43.1
This team has no shortage of intriguing young talent, like Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Zaccharie Risacher. But it’s hard to ignore Johnson’s development as he enters his age 24 season. He played just 36 games in 2024-25 due to a torn labrum, but he was playing at an All-Star caliber. In 35.7 minutes per game, the forward averaged 18.9 points and 1.2 made 3-pointers on 50/31/75 shooting, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks. In eight-category per-game fantasy value, he ranked 19th.
Chicago Bulls
Best Keeper: Josh Giddey
2024-25 FP/G: 37.7
The 22-year-old was excellent to close out the season, averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals across his final 19 regular-season appearances. Going forward, he projects to be Chicago’s lead playmaking option and one of its primary scorers. It’s encouraging that Giddey has steadily improved his shooting each season, and he became more disruptive defensively in 2024-25 as well. Given his age, he still has a long runway to improve and put up big numbers.
Upside Keeper: Matas Buzelis
2024-25 FP/G: 17.2
Coby White was in consideration for both keeper spots here, but ultimately I wanted to highlight Buzelis’ rookie season. Some mock drafts had him in the top 5, but he slipped to the Bulls at pick 11. After a relatively slow start, Buzelis started the final 31 regular-season games and averaged 13.0 points and 1.7 3-pointers on 47/35/81 shooting, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 blocks in 26.8 minutes. As expected, the 20-year-old showed off fantastic athleticism, especially on defense. He needs to become a better passer, but fantasy managers should be encouraged from his debut campaign.
Miami Heat
Best Keeper: Bam Adebayo
2024-25 FP/G: 39.8
This is a tough call between Adebayo and Tyler Herro, who had a career year in 2024-25. Adebayo’s early-season shooting struggles brought down his overall numbers, but he averaged 21.2 points and 1.4 3-pointers on 52/44/81 shooting, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals across his final 35 regular-season games. While Herro is younger and may have more room to improve, Adebayo has historically been healthier and has a high floor at a position of scarcity.
Upside Keeper: Kel’el Ware
2024-25 FP/G: 23.8
Ware was eased in during his rookie season, but he started nearly every game from late January onward and averaged 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 27.8 minutes across his final 38 regular-season appearances. The 21-year-old has already shown strong upside as a rebounder and shot-blocker with room to grow as a shooter. He worked well alongside Adebayo, which is a good sign moving forward.
Toronto Raptors
Best Keeper: Scottie Barnes
2024-25 FP/G: 41.6
Barnes took a small step back for the struggling Raptors in his fourth season, which ended with him playing minutes in the high-20s for the final two months. Before seeing a reduced workload in March and April, however, Barnes averaged 20.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in 34.7 minutes. The addition of Brandon Ingram and a healthier Immanuel Quickley could reduce Barnes’ usage in 2025-26, but he’s still Toronto’s franchise player.
Upside Keeper: Gradey Dick
2024-25 FP/G: 23.1
Dick’s minutes and usage often fluctuated last year based on which of his teammates were available. He was most prolific before the New Year, averaging 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.9 minutes. The biggest improvement to his game following his rookie season was his free-throw rate, which more than doubled. Usage won’t be easy to come by with an improved and presumably healthier roster next season, but the 21-year-old is improving.
Brooklyn Nets
Best Keeper: Cam Thomas
2024-25 FP/G: 33.1
The other Cam (Cameron Johnson) was in consideration here, but he’s 29 years old, and I neither trust him to stay healthy nor play a prominent enough role moving forward on the Nets or elsewhere to consider him the best option. Thomas is a microwave scorer, not afraid of taking shots. The 23-year-old is coming off a career season where he averaged 24.0 points and 2.7 3-pointers on 44/35/88 shooting, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 31.2 minutes – though he appeared in just 25 games due to hamstring issues. Thomas’ career arc, and the future of the Nets, feels a bit nebulous, but at some point I’m going to trust the age and usage.
Upside Keeper: Day’Ron Sharpe
2024-25 FP/G: 22.3
There are some eye-of-the-beholder young players on Brooklyn, also including Nic Claxton, Keon Johnson and Noah Clowney. But one thing we already know as fantasy managers is that Sharpe is an elite per-minute producer. Investing in that is safer than taking a gamble elsewhere. The undersized (6-foot-9) center racks up rebounds and defensive stats in bunches at just 23 years old. He’s seen minutes in the mid-teens throughout his career, but his past two seasons have resulted in per-36-minute averages of 15.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals. The path to a bigger role is murky, but he’s a good target for long-term value-hunting managers.
Philadelphia 76ers
Best Keeper: Tyrese Maxey
2024-25 FP/G: 43.6
In an ideal world, this would be Joel Embiid. The injuries have taken away too much of his value, however. The 24-year-old Maxey is your best bet in the near and far future. He played only 52 games last year but did so at an All-Star caliber, averaging 26.3 points and 3.1 made 3-pointers on 44/34/88 shooting, 6.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 37.7 minutes.
Upside Keeper: Jared McCain
2024-25 FP/G: 22.5
Quentin Grimes was also in consideration here, given his end-of-year explosion after being dealt to the 76ers from the Mavericks. But McCain is a few years younger and did his work at the beginning of the season in a more competitive atmosphere before suffering a season-ending meniscus tear. A 15-game stretch in the midst of his impressive run saw McCain average 20.0 points and 3.1 3-pointers on 46/40/85 shooting, 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 32.4 minutes.
Charlotte Hornets
Best Keeper: LaMelo Ball
2024-25 FP/G: 42.9
Ball’s injury issues are becoming a concern. It’s not to the point where I want to downgrade him out of this spot, especially given Charlotte’s relative lack of exciting young players. Still, he’s played more than 51 games just once in his five-year career. He’s coming off a season with averages of 25.2 points and 3.8 made 3-pointers on 41/34/84 shooting, 7.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
Upside Keeper: Brandon Miller
2024-25 FP/G: 34.9
A wrist injury limited Miller to 27 games during his 2024-25 sophomore campaign, but he looked good when available. The 22-year-old averaged 21.0 points and 3.9 3-pointers on 40/36/86 shooting, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 combined steals-plus-blocks. His general efficiency needs some work, and he doesn’t get to the free-throw line much, but these are typical issues for young players. All signs are still pointing to him producing All-Star-caliber numbers in the near future.
Washington Wizards
Best Keeper: Jordan Poole
2024-25 FP/G: 32.7
Poole is coming off a bounce-back campaign and will just be entering his age-26 season. His minutes were limited down the stretch as Washington tanked for draft position, but Poole averaged 21.0 points and 3.5 3-pointers on 42/37/88 shooting, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals through his first 51 appearances. He was a top-50 fantasy player for the majority of the season and projects to be the team’s No. 1 option again in 2025-26.
Upside Keeper: Alex Sarr
2024-25 FP/G: 29.2
The No. 2 overall pick from this past season had his ups and downs but showed potential, especially as a defender. His 5.0% block rate ranked eighth among all qualified players, and he averaged a solid 3.2 assists per 36 minutes. Scoring efficiency was a problem, with his 48.2 TS% unfortunately ranking last of all qualifiers, but getting shots up was more important than focusing on only taking the best shots in his situation. Even if Sarr’s offense is slow going, he has upside as a shot-blocker, rebounder and passer to fall back on.
