Buy, Hold, or Sell: The Basketball Cards to Target For the 2026-27 NBA Season
The Knicks are champs, Wemby is the MVP favorite, and the most hyped rookie class in years is about to get its first licensed cards. Here's who to chase, who to move, and how to do both before tip-off.
On June 13th, it finally happened: The New York Knicks won their first championship since 1973.
Fifty-three years is a long time to wait. Long enough that cards from their last trophy team are firmly vintage—and long enough that Knicks fans have earned an insufferable offseason, one that they've taken full advantage of.
With the 2026-27 NBA season set to tip off on Tuesday, October 20th, hope is back in the air. For the Knicks, it’s dreams of a repeat, and for everyone else, it’s a fresh start; hope is high, and fans are itching to see their favorite players back on the court.
For card sellers, that means the next few weeks are about two things: knowing which cards collectors are about to chase, and making sure yours are listed when they do.
The best way to approach basketball cards before the season starts is simple: target the players whose stories are just beginning, sell the players whose stories just peaked, and have all your cards scanned and listed before opening night.
Time for tip off!
The Rookies: The Class Every Basketball Fan Has Been Waiting For
The 2026 draft class arrives with arguably more hype (and more pre-draft card sales) than any group in recent memory, including the 2025 draft class featuring none other than Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Ace Bailey, Derik Queen, and more.
The Washington Wizards took AJ Dybantsa first overall, followed by Darryn Peterson (Utah Jazz), Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (Chicago Bulls), and Keaton Wagler (Los Angeles Clippers).
As has been the case in recent years, The Hobby didn't wait for draft night to grab the first cards of these (potential) future stars. As Mike Metzler reported for Mantel, a five-card lot headlined by a Dybantsa Superfractor autograph sold for $20,000 back in June, with a Peterson/Dybantsa dual autograph Superfractor selling for $18,300 the same month, and a Boozer Bowman Chrome True Red auto numbered to five selling for $10,500 the month before.
While Bowman typically lays claim to the first rookie cards for basketball’s future superstars, the first officially licensed rookie cards featuring these players in their new NBA jerseys arrive in 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball. The presale on October 6th momentarily crashed Topps’ site, and the official release has been pushed back from the NBA’s opening week to November 5th, presumably due to demand. Hobby Cases, Hobby Jumbos, and Mega Cases boxes remain sold out on Topps.com's pre-order page, but Mega and Value boxes are still available.
What this loaded NBA draft class—and its high demand—means for sellers:
- If you’re not first, you’re last: Pre-rookie and Topps NOW cards (Bowman, Bowman U, draft-night Topps NOW) are the only Dybantsa, Peterson, and Boozer cards on the market right now. Once Flagship arrives, collectors who prefer licensed rookie cards will have other options, and, as the data shows, outside of life-changing hits, the best time to sell is generally within the first week of a new set’s release. Before Flagship arrives, you should know whether you're holding or selling what you've got, and when you’re selling the new set.
- Minutes make box scores, and box scores move cards: As the season unfolds, preseason hype will turn into on-court success—or lack there of. Track rotation news and stats, both throughout the preseason and throughout the regular season, to make sure those cards you’re holding are getting valuable minutes; those that are riding the bench might be worth offloading.
The Sophomores: Bigger Expectations in Year Two
Last year's class didn't need much time to settle in.
- Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks): The reigning Rookie of the Year led all rookies at 21.0 points per game, and his one-of-one Topps Chrome Updates NBA Debut Patch Auto sold for a whipping $8.04 million through Fanatics Collect in September.
- Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets): Set the NBA rookie record for three-pointers with 273, while averaging 18.5 points per game.
- VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers): Averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and a rookie-best 1.4 steals, all while starting for a playoff team. Now he gets to play next to LeBron James, with Philly seen as a serious contender for their first NBA championship since 1983. No pressure, kid.
- Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs): How many NBA players have scored 25 points off the bench in the Finals? How many of those were rookies? Harper looks destined for greatness, especially alongside Victor Wembanyama and the rest of this Spurs squad. The talented young guard is in line for a bigger role this season, and expectations are sky high in San Antonio.
With all eyes on the 2026 draft class, last year’s rookies provide some real value now that they’ve earned their stripes as bonafide rising stars—or full fledged stars, in some cases. Zig while others zag; if you're buying, this is a group to target.
The Stars: MVP Odds and New Jerseys
According to the latest DraftKings odds, Victor Wembanyama is the MVP favorite at +210, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+350), Nikola Jokić (+500), Luka Dončić (+550), and Miami’s newest superstar: Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1200).
Then there's LeBron James, who turns 42 in December and will spend his 24th season in the league as a Philadelphia 76er. He might not win his fifth regular-season MVP this year, but The King has a global fanbase clamoring for his newest cards, and that gives you options.
What LeBron’s latest offseason move means for collectors:
- Sell into the moment: Veteran stars on new teams draw the most attention right before (and right after) their debuts. If you've got LeBron Lakers cards or Giannis Bucks cards gathering dust, opening week is when the most buyers will be searching.
- Hold the long game: MVP favorites and young stars are the cards that tend to keep collectors' attention all season, especially when it comes to Topps Chrome and their buyback program for the MVP-winner. If Wemby manages to win it all, you better believe his 2026-27 cards will see a spike in demand.
How to Target (and Sell) With Mascot
Organize your inventory: By using a basketball card scanner, you can save countless hours of sorting through your collection with the click of a button. Better yet, Mascot's AI scanner offers unlimited card scans on every plan, so working through a full box of 2020s Bucks cards won't burn through a monthly allowance. Better yet, a single picture can register multiple cards, meaning less clicks and more time shipping sales.
Hunt what you want: Mascot's Card Hunter runs automated saved searches across 20+ marketplaces and auction houses, so you can set up a search for graded Knueppel rookie cards or a specific Wemby parallel and get alerted when one hits the market. Dealers on Pro or Expert plans can also shop vetted inventory from other sellers on Mercury, Mascot's private B2B marketplace.
Price with a plan: A PSA 10 and a PSA 8 are not the same card, at least when it comes to your bank account. When preparing to list your cards for sale, make sure to check recent sold comps for the exact card and grade you’re holding, then use Mascot to set Pricing Rules with a floor, so you can entice buyers to take a look at your slower-moving cards by dropping their price on a pre-set schedule—all without going below your minimum price.
One Click. Multiple listings: When it comes to selling sports cards, the key is to reach buyers wherever they’re at on the web. With Mascot's multi-channel listing tool, you can send each one of your listings to eBay, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Shopify, and more in just a few clicks. Worried about selling the same card twice? Mascot automatically delists sold cards everywhere they’re listed the second they sell. Want to reach even more buyers? The Mascot Network helps you supercharge your sales by putting your inventory in front of a new audience—and only charging a 3% fee to do so.
How to sell basketball cards on Mascot during the 2026-27 NBA season
For some, October means playoff baseball. For others, it’s weeks 4-8 of the NFL season. While there are certainly other sports in the mix, real hoop heads know that October means the return of The Association.
Opening night features matches between the Celtics and Pistons, Sixers and Knicks, and a Western Conference Finals rematch between the Thunder and the Spurs. Every team starts 0-0, every rookie is a future All-Star until proven otherwise, and every collector is looking for the card that's going to be the centerpiece of their collection when the NBA Playoffs get started in April.
Whether you're chasing Dybantsa, cashing out on LeBron, or quietly stacking Knueppel and his nonstop barrage of threes, the work is the same: know what you have, know what you want, and get your cards listed before the first jump ball of the 2026-27 NBA season.