2023 NBA Draft: Who are the fantasy basketball winners and losers?

The 2023 NBA Draft is in the books, and with a new wave of talented young hoopers entering the league, which players and situations will be most impacted by their arrival, and how will it affect the 2023-24 fantasy basketball season?

With exciting trades, unexpected picks, last-minute slides, twins making history and Gradey Dickswagging all over the stage, there's plenty to talk about. Here's my take on the initial winners and losers from a fantasy perspective after draft night.

The Winners

Victor Wembanyama, PF/C San Antonio Spurs

Wemby is a winner by default. He has the perfect combination of talent and opportunity and should be a third-round selection in fantasy drafts this season.

Jordan Poole, PG/SG, Washington Wizards

Getting traded to a team where he’ll have the greenest of lights is the best-case scenario for Poole’s fantasy value. In 115 games as a starter across his career, Poole averaged 21.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 threes and 1.2 stocks with 43/35/90 shooting splits in 32.4 minutes per night. He’ll see well over 32 minutes for a rebuilding Washington franchise and will easily be a mid-round fantasy selection heading into next season.

Desmond Bane, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies

Marcus Smart replaced Tyus Jones and Ja Morant is suspended for the first 25 games. Bane season is upon us, and I’m drafting him with the potential of becoming a top-25 player.

Brandon Miller, SF, Charlotte Hornets

I guess it didn’t matter that Miller spurned former Hornets owner Michael Jordan, saying Paul George is the GOAT. Nevertheless, Miller landed in a great situation considering the void in the Hornets frontcourt. Miller should immediately crack the rotation, with Gordon Hayward and Cody Martin as the only small forwards currently under contract. Hayward is a candidate to be moved with his contract expiring at the end of the 2023-2024 season, so Miller has some redraft fantasy potential out the gates.

Skillset-wise, Miller's game actually mirrors the aforementioned George, and he’s a player I’ll be watching closely in Summer League. There’s potential for him to be the second-best fantasy player of this draft class going into next season (behind Wemby, of course).

Scoot Henderson, PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers

It might be a little presumptuous to label Henderson as a winner with Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons still on the Blazers. Still, it’s only a matter of time before either Lillard or Henderson is traded. If Henderson stays in Portland, it’ll be in a rebuilding scenario where he’ll have the keys to the offense.

Should the Blazers orchestrate a few deals that fetch the veteran, win-now caliber players that Lillard’s requested, Henderson could be on the move and then we’d have to re-calibrate this take. But I think Henderson will remain a Blazer, and if that holds true, he will be a fantasy asset in Year 1.

Taylor Hendricks, SF/PF, Utah Jazz

Utah's small forward and power forward depth isn’t overly impressive behind Lauri Markkanen and Ochai Agbaji. Kelly Olynyk’s contract is partially guaranteed heading into next season, and Rudy Gay can exercise his player option but neither of those situations will prevent Hendricks from getting minutes right away. His defensive versatility, athleticism and ability to stretch the floor (he shot 40% from three-point range this past season) is why Utah coveted him. The frontcourt combination of Walker Kessler, Markkanen and Hendricks will be a tough lineup to match. While some doubted the competition he faced in NCAA, Hendricks has the makings of an excellent fantasy player.

Dereck Lively, C, Dallas Mavericks

The acquisition of Richaun Holmes on draft night doesn’t concern me because the Mavs got their guy. Lively is a better defender and far more athletic than his counterpart, so while he may take some time to integrate into the Mavs system, he’ll eventually be the starting center at some point this upcoming season.

Bilal Coulibaly, SG/SF, Washington Wizards

The landing spot is awesome considering the Wizards are rebuilding around a plethora of young players. I’m a big fan of Coulibaly and outlined his upside before the draft. It may take some time to unseat Cory Kispert, but initially, there’s a path to playing time as the sixth or seventh man off the bench.

The Wizards will undoubtedly continue to reshape their roster throughout the offseason, so keep an eye out for the 18-year-old as he develops his game moving forward.

The Losers

Bradley Beal, SG, Phoenix Suns

The good news is that the Suns won’t be able to afford much help outside of the new "Big 3" that’s been assembled, so he’ll get plenty of minutes to produce. However, injury concerns will always loom around Beal. He finished 56th in per-game value last year, but 21/4/5 is what I’m anticipating in 2023-2024. I’ll likely be avoiding him in drafts.

Kevin Porter Jr., PG, Houston Rockets

Porter was the second-best fantasy player for the Rockets last season (behind Alperen Şengün). However, new Rockets head coach Ime Udoka hinted at changes — and said changes are already underway. The Rockets selected Amen Thompson with the fourth overall pick, which puts Porter Jr. on trade watch. While Porter Jr. is a stat stuffer, his inefficiencies and inconsistency as a floor general could have him on the outs. A trade could restore his value, but for now, he’s moved down fantasy draft boards going into next season.

Chris Paul, PG, Golden State Warriors

Will he start or come off the bench? It’s an important question now that he’s joined the Warriors. Paul finished 33rd in per-game value last year, but his production is falling as his age continues to rise. He’ll always be a viable asset for assists, steals, FG and FT percentage, but I’d fade Paul until we know more.

Anthony Black, PG, Orlando Magic

Black has a ton of fantasy appeal but man, the Magic have sooooo many guards on their roster at the moment. I don’t see him being a redraft asset quite yet.

Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith - Indiana Pacers

If Jalen Smith’s last season’s dud wasn’t the nail in the coffin, the Pacers trading back one spot to select PF Jarace Walker was. Nesmith played out of position as he’s only 6-foot-5, but he held his own. Now that the 6-8 Walker is in the building, the Pacers can deploy some size to strengthen their frontcourt defensively.