12-Team, 9-Cat Salary Mock Draft: Nikola Jokić, SGA command high prices

With football season beginning in earnest this weekend, the attention of many is on the gridiron, and understandably so. However, that also means fantasy basketball is right around the corner, making this an excellent time to begin the mock draft process. Some may prefer the standard snake draft process, with or without a third-round reversal, while others favor the salary-style draft. With $200 to play with, the task is to build out a roster capable of delivering glory (and, in some instances, prize money) in the spring.

Do you spend most of your funds on a few elite players and then fill out the roster with low-cost options toward the end of the draft? Or do you look to take a more balanced approach, which may result in a stronger roster on the back end? Rotoworld fantasy basketball analyst Raphielle Johnson recently participated in a salary mock draft hosted by Fantasy Basketball International’s Adam King. Below are the results and some thoughts on how the draft played out.

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The primary reason for a salary mock draft is to understand better how much players are commanding on the market. Of course, a Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Victor Wembanyama will command a high fee. But how much are managers willing to pay? Based on the early data, our salary mock was more conservative regarding the money managers were willing to pay. According to Hashtag Basketball, Jokić’s average in Yahoo! leagues was $85 and $69.60 in ESPN leagues. In our mock draft, which was completed on Fantrax, the winning bid for the three-time MVP was $69.

Four players commanded winning bids of more than $60. In addition to Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander ($62), Luka Dončić ($62) and Wembanyama ($61) were also above that threshold. Four more players came off the board for at least $50: Anthony Edwards ($55), Cade Cunningham ($54), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($51) and Anthony Davis ($50). Among the high-priced players are some health concerns, notably Wembanyama, Cunningham and Davis. However, these players rank among the best in fantasy basketball when healthy, so the high dollar amounts are understandable.

– What should we make of the draft values of Joel Embiid and Zion Williamson?

For managers participating in standard drafts, Embiid and Williamson are two of the more polarizing prospects. While the question in that format is when they should be selected, for managers in salary drafts, the question is how much they should spend. Embiid, who is not guaranteed to be healthy when the season begins after undergoing knee surgery, went off the board for $18, while Williamson’s fee was $16. Williamson, whose 2024-25 season ended prematurely due to a back injury, has surpassed 60 games twice in his six NBA seasons. Fantasy managers are right to be concerned about these two, with Embiid offering a higher ceiling in nine-cat leagues when healthy.

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– How much are managers willing to spend on stars working their way back from injury?

Embiid and Williamson aren’t the only players whose values took a hit due to injury. With Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) already ruled out for the season, the values of the Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard ($13) and Bennedict Mathurin ($5) received modest boosts, while Pascal Siakam’s price tag in this mock draft ($19) was significantly lower than his Yahoo!/ESPN average according to Hashtag Basketball ($30).

Boston’s Jayson Tatum ($2) has not been ruled out for the 2025-26 season, so it makes sense that he would come off the board. His absence to begin the season should raise the fantasy ceilings of Derrick White ($22), Jaylen Brown ($18) and Payton Pritchard ($19), but Brown’s price in the mock was nearly $10 lower than his projected value. Is $19 too much to pay for Pritchard? That may depend on Anfernee Simons ($7), who has been the subject of trade rumors despite not making his official Celtics debut.

Lastly, Dallas guard Kyrie Irving ($1) continues to rehab from the ACL tear he suffered in early March. While January has been reported as a potential target for his return, it was clear in this mock draft that managers weren’t willing to take the risk. Also, D’Angelo Russell, who will begin the season as Dallas’ starting point guard, went for just $2 in this mock draft.

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– How much should we be willing to pay for the rookies?

Dallas’ Cooper Flagg was the first rookie put up for bid, with his final price of $19. By comparison, his average price in Yahoo! and ESPN leagues is just under $25, according to Hashtag Basketball. Other than the top overall pick in June’s draft, there wasn’t much willingness to spend cap money on first-year players in this draft.

Spurs guard Dylan Harper was not nominated for a bid, likely because the backcourt already has De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell rather than the rookie undergoing thumb surgery recently. The hope is that Harper will be recovered in time for the start of the season. Phoenix’s Khaman Maluach, who appears likely to begin the season as Mark Williams’ backup in Phoenix, went off the board for $2, while college teammate Kon Knueppel was a $1 bid.

One rookie I wish I’d nominated in this mock draft is Washington’s Tre Johnson. While that rebuilding roster is loaded with young players, especially on the wing, his scoring ability could make him a valuable rookie, especially during the second half of the season.

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12-Team, 9-Cat Salary Mock Draft Results