Fantasy Basketball: Draft strategy for approaching LeBron James and other 35+ year olds

As fantasy basketball managers gear up for the 2024-25 NBA season, I’ve been debating where to rank and draft the old guys. When I say old, I’m talking about players who will be over the basketball hill —at least 35 years old — before the end of the 2025 regular season. Some of these legends continue to extend their primes while othes are either aging like fine boxed wine or in decline.

Let’s dive into how I approach these elder statesmen in drafts this season.

Real rap, he’s one of the greatest athletes ever. He was the most impactful player for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it looks like he could play for another five seasons despite turning 40 later this year and being the oldest player in the NBA.

I have some durability concerns given his age, but James had his healthiest season in over three years, playing 71 games last year. The production’s always been consistent — bank him for at least 25-7-7 with a field-goal percentage north of 50% and a couple of threes and a steal per game. I wouldn’t be mad if you’re a LeBron stan and want to take him in the second round but an early third round pick balances the risk and reward perfectly.

The NBA’s modern mercenary became an injury risk over the past decade, where he sustained a Jones fracture during 2014-2015 that set off several injuries thereafter, most notably a torn Achilles in 2020. Following the Achilles tear, Durant failed to play over 55 games in a season. That was until last year, when he played 75 games, clearly returning to form as a top-10 player in fantasy. Like James, the Slim Reaper was bounced early from the 2024 playoffs but played an influential role in Team USA capturing gold in Paris.

Durant will be 36 in September and is going in the backend of the first round of most mock drafts this offseason. I’ll likely pass on him there because of (what seems to be) persistent soft-tissue issues, but that could easily become a regret. He’s one of the most prolific and efficient scorers ever. And he gets stocks too.

The baby-faced assassin has a beard now and likely some grays after carrying Team USA to gold and the Warriors all year long. I have Curry ranked as a late-first in category formats because he is elite in three categories — points, threes and free throw percentage. Points leagues, he’s more of a third-rounder.

Curry’ll turn 37 in March, and I feel good about his prospects to stay healthy, considering he’s played in at least 63 games in 11 of his 15 seasons in the league. So in short, I’d run it back for another year with the seemingly ageless future Hall-of-Famer.

The stars aligned well for Harden this offseason. Paul George went to Philly, and if the Olympics indicate what’s to come for Kawhi Leonard this year, Harden could be in for a massive workload. The soon-to-be 35-year-old is one of only a handful of players capable of leading the league in assists, and his ability to contribute across categories puts him right in line with a second-round grade. His scoring fell off a cliff last year as the third wheel to PG and Kawhi, so I’d expect some positive regression there. His 16 ppg was his lowest since winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2015-2016.

Heavy minutes could lead to injury, but hopefully, Ty Lue and the staff have a plan to keep Harden motivated and healthy.

Butler turns 35 in September and his sketchy contract situation is far from ideal. Also, in the regular season, Jimmy isn’t Playoff Jimmy. I’ve passed over him in every offseason mock because I don’t know what to expect from him or the situation at hand. He needs to get paid, and until he does, I’d be more tempted to draft him if he falls beyond the fourth.

DeRozan’s traditional 20-5-5 likely goes to a 20-4-4 playing in such a loaded Sacramento starting unit. Everyone has downgraded a smidge since his arrival, but I’d be more interested in selecting DeRozan in the fifth/sixth round of drafts. I don’t love him though.

I don’t know why Draymond feels older than he is, but he’ll be turning 35 in March. I’m fine drafting him for his rebounding and assists. He also looks to be back to attempting more than a couple of threes per game. The thing with Draymond is, as a fantasy manager, how do you factor in his on-the-court antics? Last year was an outlier, so I’d buy the dip considering what he does outside of scoring.

I love that CP3 chose to play with San Antonio this season. The point god could’ve gone ring chasing to some degree, but teaming up with Wemby, a future star of this league, is a dope way to close out his career. Word on the street is that he chose the Spurs because he’ll start. And at draft cost, Paul is shaping up to be a sleeper in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts.

The scoring is likely sapped but averaging a low-end double-double can’t be ruled out if he’s playing 30+ minutes a night. CP3 may not last through the season, but he’s still a productive fantasy player despite how he was utilized by the Warriors last season. Don’t reach, but scoop him if you missed out on assists earlier in the draft.

Splash Mountain will be 37 in April, and I expect to see some decline here. Is Lopez still worth drafting in fantasy? Yes. But it’ll really just be for the blocks and threes. He doesn’t get enough volume in this offense and he can’t clog the paint with Giannis. I’d pass on Lopez if younger options are available in the mid-rounds.

As the point guard of one of the best teams in the Western Conference, Conley often gets overlooked in drafts because of his age — he’ll be 37 in October. But like Paul, he’s a cheap source for assists in the mid-to-late rounds. The Wolves drafted Robert Dillingham in the first round as Conley’s replacement, so just be mindful that the next man up isn’t far behind.

Old man Al is 38 and more fantasy-relevant than many would expect heading into the season. Kristaps Porziņģis has no firm return date, so Horford will likely step in as the starting center once the season is underway. The Celtics have 13 back-to-backs (B2B) on the schedule (under league average), and trust — Horford will be missing at least one of every B2B. Still, he’s worth a flier late for his threes and stocks.

New team, same Russ. It’s unclear if he’ll start, but the peripherals at this stage in his career left him outside the top 120 and he’s not someone I’d be interested in drafting. If more information comes out about his role, I could see a bump as a late-rounder in points formats.

I like the landing spot, but Klay’s fantasy value lies in his three-point shooting. If you need a boost, go for it. I just don’t see much room for Klay to contribute in other categories because so much of Dallas’ offense flows through Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.