Any penalties?

If it's just top 5 rounds, you probably keep KAT, Dipo, Kawhi, Otto and Harris. Lonzo is the odd man out.

All the other guys are top-40 or higher (some of them MUCH higher). Lonzo has a great stat make-up but until he can shoot 40% or break 50% at the foul line, he's a tough sell in standard 9-cat leagues.

Truth be told, I bet Lonzo is a top-75 guy next year, and THEN I'd love to keep him as he starts to learn how to make some shots, but he's about a year away from being a keeper, and the other guys are all young enough to have top-15-20 value for half a decade.

First off, that's a nice core. But, when do you have to make this decision?

I ask as a lot of keeper leagues have a grace period before the Oct draft where teams can make trades. ESPN leagues sometimes open up in the summer if the Commish is so inclined.

If Kawhi doesn't comeback then you'll be hard pressed to get decent value out of him, so keep him, keep KAT. After that, if you do have the trading period I'd go after teams who have some weaker keepers, and see if you can swing 2 of your guys for 1 of theirs. Aim for a solid top 10 guy, especially if there's a big Lonzo fan in your league who has a top 10 guy. Those Laker fans will pay up sometimes... not Dan, but I've seen others do it.

Case in point for the 2 for 1 option, last off season I was able to swap my Butler/Hayward for Harden... Fwiw, it's a ton easier if you have direct contact with other managers in your league email, chat, etc.

Very solid answer from EL SCOTTO!

Thanks for the responses. No penalties, just 5 best keepers. Keepers must be in by end of the season so I can't wait and see how the off season plays out.

I would love to swing a 2 for 1 trade but unfortunately there are no Laker fans and definitely no Lonzo fans, lol. We are Celtics people. I threw out a couple offers but I don't expect them to be accepted.

I was kind of leaning towards keeping Lonzo but you guys convinced me otherwise. I feel like he has Jason Kidd type potential(numbers-wise only) which is the only reason I considered keeping him. I might be able to draft him at a discount next season seeing as how he's not the most popular guy around.

Thanks again for the great advice. My doubts are gone and I'll be rolling without Lonzo without feeling like I made a mistake, lol.

I'd be inclined toward finding a way to keep Lonzo. As your 5th keeper he's low risk and if they get some solid free agents he could be in line for a huge year. He doesn't need to shoot or score to be a keeper value player in your league. I'd try to upgrade by doing a 2 for 1 with Dipo and Otto and see if you can get a top 8 guy in return. Just tough to lose Lonzo for nothing.