Insights

Our voice, for people who love the game.

This is where our voice lives — every view, take, and explainer we publish, in our own words. Some pieces dig into fantasy strategy and the moves that win your week; others are just us writing about the basketball we love. All of it honest, and backed by the engine when it counts.

Start here — our series

Guided reads, in order

Fantasy 101 · 7 parts

Fantasy basketball, from scratch — everything a first-timer needs, in order.

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The Cap Sheet · 8 parts

Decoding how NBA front offices actually work — the cap, the tax, the exceptions.

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General

Basketball at large — the NBA, the game itself, and whatever else is worth writing about.

Who are we?

We're fantasy basketball obsessives who built our own projection engine — every player gets a sharp, data-backed view, with an eye for the names the market has mispriced.

NBA Two-Way, 10-Day & Exhibit 10 Contracts, Explained (2026-27)

NBA two-way contract rules, plus 10-day deals, the Exhibit 10, and draft-and-stash — the deep-roster contracts that turn undrafted names into rotation players and streamers.

NBA Trade Exceptions, Sign-and-Trades & the Stretch Provision (2026-27)

NBA trade exception, explained: how a TPE is created and its one-year clock, plus sign-and-trades, the poison pill provision, dead money and the stretch provision.

How NBA Trades Work: Salary Matching & the Apron Rules (2026-27)

How NBA trades work — salary matching by team status, why the second apron bans aggregation, the Stepien rule on future first-round picks, and no-trade clauses.

NBA Contracts Explained: Max, Supermax & Extensions (2026-27)

How an NBA max contract really works — the 25/30/35% cap tiers in 2026-27 dollars, the supermax, the Rose Rule, rookie scale, options and extensions, decoded.

NBA Bird Rights & Exceptions, Explained (2026-27)

NBA Bird rights explained — Larry/Early/Non-Bird, the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, the minimum, and how over-the-cap teams still keep their stars and add rotation help.

How NBA Free Agency Works, Explained (2026-27)

How NBA free agency actually works — UFA vs RFA, qualifying offers and the starter criteria, offer sheets, cap holds by the numbers, and the 2026 moratorium.

How the NBA Salary Cap Works, Explained Simply

How the NBA salary cap actually works — the soft cap, exceptions, max contracts, the luxury tax, and the two aprons — explained in plain English, with the fantasy angle.

The NBA Luxury Tax & Two Aprons, Explained (2026-27 Numbers)

How the NBA luxury tax is calculated — the 121.5% formula, the bracket rates, the repeater penalty — plus the exact 2026-27 apron lines and the roster tools each one takes away.

Fantasy Insights

Rankings, punts, sleepers, and the moves that win your head-to-head week.

What Is Fantasy Basketball? Rules, Scoring & How to Play

Fantasy basketball, explained from zero — what it is, how to play, the rules, scoring formats, drafts, and what you do each week. A complete beginner's guide.

Punt Builds, Explained: the 6 strategies that win categories

Punting isn't giving up — it's how category leagues are actually won. Here's what a punt build is, why it works, and the six builds (punt FT%, FG%, assists, turnovers, threes, blocks) with the anchor players to draft around each.

10 Beginner Fantasy Basketball Mistakes (and Their Fixes)

Ten mistakes that quietly cost beginners their fantasy basketball leagues — and the sharp habit that replaces each one. The fast lane past year-one errors.

How to Win Your Fantasy Basketball Matchup & the Playoffs

Weekly H2H strategy explained — the 5-of-9 category math, scouting a matchup, mid-week pivots, protecting percentages, and how fantasy basketball playoffs work.

Fantasy Basketball Lineups: Slots, Daily vs Weekly Locks & Roster Spot Types

How fantasy basketball lineups work — every roster spot type explained, daily vs weekly lineup leagues, when players lock, injury designations, and IL spots.

Fantasy Basketball Waivers, Streaming & Trades Guide

The in-season playbook — how the fantasy basketball waiver wire and FAAB work, streaming the NBA schedule, and trades: deadlines, vetoes, and how to win them.

Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide: Snake, Auction & How to Prep

A beginner's fantasy basketball draft guide — how snake and auction drafts work, prep in one evening, read rankings and ADP, plus a round-by-round plan.

Fantasy Basketball Scoring: Roto vs. H2H vs. Points

Fantasy basketball scoring explained — Roto, head-to-head categories, and points: how each format works, with worked examples, and which one to pick first.

How we rank players — projected, tested, and never a gut call

Our rankings come from a projection engine we built and backtested on decades of NBA data — with a clear view of our own on every sleeper, breakout, and fade.