Fantasy Hoops Trade Talk
So the NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and lots more activity than anyone anticipated. We’ll touch on what some of these trades mean for the rest of your fantasy season.
If Rudy Gobert was hanging on your wire before, your league is crazy (owned in only 35% in ESPN & 62% in Yahoo). If he’s still there now, pause and go grab him. With Enes Kanter being shipped out to make way for the athletic 7-footer, Gobert will be a stud the rest of the way. We caught a glimpse of his potential in the Rising Stars competition over All-Star break, and this is exactly what we should expect going forward.
Isaiah Canaan is a must add purely based off of situation. He has impressed in the limited time he actually received decent playing time. Now in Philadelphia with a roster lacking talent and with uptempo play that has turned other PG’s into high usage studs (MCW, Wroten), look for Cannan to be a big boost should he be able to hang onto the starting gig.
Norris Cole becomes an interesting target and good speculative add if you’re in need of a PG.
If Reggie Jackson was dropped in your league, it would behoove you to win that race to the wire for RJax. We’ve seen the numbers previous Detroit PG’s Brandon Jennings then D.J. Augustin (who by the way is worth a hold for now) have put up this year, and I expect Jackson to be starter-worthy the rest of the way.
Danilo Gallinari should see an uptick in minutes and productivity. Looking like he’s finally turning the corner from injury, Gallo should be able to stick with the starting lineup the rest of the season. The guy he’s starting for, Aaron Afflalo, has likely lost a bit of appeal, but should hold value as the 6th man in Portland.
Other notables
It’s time for Jordan Clarkson to be swooped up in all leagues.
Tyler Zeller and Brandon Bass become intriguing adds with the recent bad news on Jared Sullinger. Also keep a close watch on Kelly Olynyk’s progress. Not a bad speculative add if you can afford the roster spot.
The seemingly harmless swap in Minnesota of Thad Young for Kevin Garnett should open up playing time for Shabazz Muhammed. For Brooklyn, look for Thad to dip into the minutes of Mason Plumlee.
Anyone who was waiting for a big move in the “Big Apple” has got to be disappointed. With Carmelo Anthony out for the season, this will be a very tough team to watch. Look for Tim Hardaway Jr. to get all the minutes he can handle, assuming he’s up for the challenge. He’s streaky, but I’m looking for him to find his footing down the stretch.
I wish Chris Bosh a speedy recovery. With the possibility he misses the rest of the season, James Ennis becomes an interesting prospect. Our very own Michael Morris who covered him during his college days at Long Beach State. He feels Ennis certainly has the ability to step in and do an admirable job at filling in for Bosh. Good enough for me to jump and handcuff him if I’m a Bosh owner.
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