Stock up and Stock down

This is the weekly feature where we look at the NBA rookies and how their performances are reflecting on their market. It’s safe to say this class is living up to the considerable hype as more of the lottery talents are moving into their respective starting lineups. With just the 2025-26 Topps Flagship out so far, we’ll be monitoring those cards. Additionally, with not enough data for CardLadder yet for the rookies, we’ll just be monitoring a few select cards of the rookies.

With Topps Chrome dropping on pre-order this week and the pricing being considerably higher than expected, I wondered if we’d see a rush to get more of the paper cards sold at whatever people could get before Chrome drops, but it appears prices for most of the top guys are staying where they were or rising.

RELATED: 11/14 NBA Rookie Report

Stock UpAce Bailey, Utah Jazz Ace Bailey Auto

Ace Bailey Auto | CardLadder

I think a year ago, when Bailey was just starting his freshman season at Rutgers, you’d have a hard time believing he wouldn’t be an immediate starter in the NBA. However, while it took a while to get Bailey into the starting lineup, he is starting to play better and we’ve seen his market respond a bit since he’s now a starter. He still has his growing pains, as evidenced of his starting and fouling out in just 10 minutes against Chicago. This /99 auto was as low as $80.69 a three weeks ago, but the last two sales are $135 and $160.

Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans Derik Queen Auto

Derik Queen Auto | CardLadder

It’s worth noting that this is three straight weeks of Queen being in the “Stock Up” section. We’ve been ahead of the curve for this in the Rookie Report, and as soon as Queen moved into a more prominent role, his market has started to take off. After a 30-point, 9-rebound night against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, this /50 auto sold for $393. For comparison, on Nov. 10, the same card sold for $165. His market is up BIG. We’ve even seen him move into the top four for Rookie of the Year odds.

Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets Kon Knueppel Auto

Kon Knueppel Auto | CardLadder

Knueppel came into the season far behind Cooper Flagg in the Rookie of the Year odds, but as of today, Friday Nov. 21st, Knueppel is essentially dead even with Flagg for the award. More importantly, his market is starting to reflect that. This /50 Flagship auto sold for $1000 on Nov. 17th, $809 on Nov. 14th, and $400 on Nov. 8th. His market is on fire right now, we’ll see if that holds up when Brandon Miller returns.

Stock FallingCooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Cooper Flagg | CardLadder

Flagg may be the one rookie who has seen their market signficantly drop since the Topps Chrome pre-order. It’s a bit strange seeing his improved play with the precipitous drop in his market. Every since seeing less time at the point guard spot, his play has drastically improved. However, this /50 gold chrome auto sold for “just” $4649 at auction on Nov. 19th, but even some of his base /50 autos sold for $6500+ two weeks ago. It’s definitely something to monitor moving forward.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets

Ryan Kalkbrenner | CardLadder

Kalkbrenner is another interesting case, as he’s playing very well, but his market value is dropping. He’s currently 4th in NBA.com’s rookie rankings, up from 5th last week, and out of the rankings a few weeks ago. This /50 gold chrome auto sold for $175.50 on November 19th, but had sales of $228 and $225 two weeks ago. Kalkbrenner was an early second-round pick, so it’s good to see his market that healthy in the first place, but he is playing quite well and is one to watch moving forward.

Tags: