This year’s NBA Trade Deadline was an absolute whirlwind. Between waking up in the morning and finding out one of the league’s all-time talents had been traded (Kevin Durant), to deep bench players getting put into high minutes roles (James Wiseman), one thing is for sure: the NBA Fantasy Landscape has changed. We’re here to help you with that! In the following article, we’ll analyze every trade deadline transaction, and how it affects the fantasy basketball world. If you didn’t know already, you should be coming to FantraxHQ for all things fantasy!
Trade Deadline Transactions
Dallas Gets Kyrie Irving & Markieff Morris/Brooklyn Gets Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, & Picks:
I’m not here to talk about whether or not this was a good trade for either team. The fact of the matter is that all players in this trade will have a different role than they had prior. Kyrie Irving goes from primary ball-hander and #2 option (on a 100% healthy Nets team), to secondary ball-handler and #2 option (on 100% healthy Mavs team). The best situation to compare that with are his numbers from the Harden/KD/Kyrie Nets, when he was in a catch & shoot role. In a small sample size (ten games), Irving averaged 23.7/4.4/3.9. That’s a small decline from the 27/5/5 that he’s average this year. But it is a decline. Irving’s stock is slightly down, but he’s still an elite player in your fantasy matchups. Morris averaged under ten minute per game in Brooklyn, and didn’t play in his first game with Dallas. He’s not relevant in fantasy this year.
Spencer Dinwiddie has the same role he had in Dallas as a secondary ball-handler and second/third option. His stock remains the same (18/5/3 is about what you should expect from him every night. Cam Thomas is the A1 on this team now). Stock is the same for Finney-Smith as well, as he’ll remain getting 30+ minutes per night as a 3 and D player with ten rebound upside.
Miami Gets Cash/San Antonio Gets Dewayne Dedmon & Draft Capital:
Dedmon is irrelevant in fantasy this year, and is likely to be waived by the Spurs.
Kings Get Kessler Edwards/Nets Get Draft Rights:
Edwards is not fantasy relevant this year.
Lakers Get D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt/Wolves Get Conley, Alexander-Walker/Jazz Get Westbrook, Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones:
D’Angelo Russell’s stock is slightly down as he’ll now be the third option in LA behind AD and LeBron. I say slightly, because let’s be honest: Anthony Davis will get hurt again and put more usage onto Russell at some point this season. I’d expect about 80% of his Wolves stat line, which was 18/3/6. As for Beasley, he’ll have the same role. He remains bench depth scoring, while getting near starter’s minutes. Beasley averaged 13/4/2 on 25 minutes and ten shots per game. I wouldn’t change a single projection from his averages. His stock remains the same. Vanderbilt’s stock goes down a bit for me. If he’s in the starting lineup, AD/Bron/DLo eat his usage. He becomes a rebounding/blocks producer, making him largely waiver wire material. If he’s coming off of the bench, he’ll be the 2nd scoring option of the 2nd unit. He’s more relevant in real life than fantasy. He’ll have nights he gives you 12/10 and nights when he gives you 5/8. Not a priority.
On the Wolves, Mike Conley’s stock stays the same. He might see an uptick in assists with more seasoned big men and more catch-and-shoot players than Utah had, but his 11/8 average for the season is about what you should expect. He’s on the back nine of his career and will be depended on to mentor the young guys. Alexander-Walker is the type of player that only becomes relevant when there’s an injury. His season averages are negligible, but he’s dropped 27 before in a game this season.
On the Jazz, there’s little to monitor from a fantasy standpoint. Westbrook is likely headed toward a buyout, so his role is still in limbo. Jones and JTA aren’t even waiver wire relevant, in my opinion.
Knicks Get Josh Hart/Portland Gets Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk, & Draft Considerations:
Josh Hart’s stock is up, and this is one of my favorite trades of the bunch. Josh Hart is a do-everything player that will remain of use to every team in the league while he’s in his prime. If you know basketball, he’s the type of player everyone wants on their team (but hates to play against). After averaging 10/8/4 in 33 minutes for the Blazers, you can expect a jump in those stats for the Knicks. He instantly becomes their best wing defender, which is Thibs’ #1 favorite player in any lineup combination. All of Thibs’ favorite players will average 36+ minutes per game, so expect a minutes boost and production boost as he becomes the third scoring option on the Knicks, as opposed to the fourth on the Blazers. Not to mention the chemistry he already has with Jalen Brunson (college teammate). Hart is on a 3-year/$38M contract at the moment. For as long as Thibs stays the Knicks’ head coach, Hart will be in for a career-defining stint with New York that will elevate him into potential All-Star/All-Defense consideration. He’ll be relevant the rest of the year, and he’s a must-acquire asset in dynasty leagues.
Portland didn’t acquire any fantasy-relevant players. Cam Reddish may be worth a flier in dynasty leagues, but I don’t believe he’s going to turn into the potential elite scorer we were hoping for. We’re 4+ years in. That’s a good enough sample size for me.
Toronto Gets Jakob Poeltl/San Antonio Gets Khem Birch & Draft Capital:
People are raving over this pickup for Toronto, but I don’t quite see the vision. They didn’t move Gary Trent, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, or Pascal Siakam. Which means Poeltl is the 6th (!!!) option behind the aforementioned players and Scottie Barnes. Expect the 12/9/3 averages for Poeltl to fall. This makes Toronto a better team in real life, but does nothing for you in fantasy.
The Spurs didn’t add any fantasy-relevant pieces.
Suns Get Kevin Durant, TJ Warren/Brooklyn Get Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder & Picks:
Kevin Durant is Kevin Durant. He’s the alpha dog on any team, and one of the greatest scorers we’ve ever seen. He put up numbers with Steph Curry on his team. Don’t worry about his fit with Devin Booker. As for TJ Warren, he’s a bit of a mystery and his value depends on who else is in your league. He might get starter’s minutes with Phoenix and be the bucket-getter off the bench. He might be put into the starting lineup, and remain irrelevant behind KD, Booker, and Ayton. Time will tell. Personally, I’d trade him before his role becomes known for sure. His ceiling can’t be that high on a team with as much firepower as Phoenix.
You might be best suited to expect the roles of Bridges and Johnson to stay the same. They are both 3 and D players who are capable of going off for a huge night here and there. They might not even stay in Brooklyn as teams are kicking the tires. Crowder has already been shipped to Bucks which we’ll talk about later.
Celtics Get Mike Muscala/Thunder Get Justin Jackson & Picks:
You don’t even know who these people are.
Nuggets Get Thomas Bryant/Lakers Get Davon Reed & Picks:
To be honest, I’m not exactly sure why the Lakers traded Bryant here. Perhaps it was driven by finances, but Bryant is a real player and a beast on a per minute basis. Unfortunately, as the backup Center to Nikola Jokic, he won’t see many minutes. That’s a problem. Stock down.
The same reason Bryant’s stock is down is the justification for ignoring the Davon Reed news. Both of these players will need injuries above them on the depth chart to become fantasy relevant.
Portland Gets Thybulle/76ers Get Jalen McDaniels & Picks/Hornets Get Svi Mykhailiuk & Picks:
For Portland, you can ignore this news from a fantasy perspective.
For Philly, you can ignore this news from a fantasy perspective, but it does make Philly a better team from a real-life basketball perspective.
For Charlotte, I’ve always loved Svi and believe he can make a real difference offensively for any team. The problem is he can’t guard anyone. Also, I don’t know how many minutes he’ll see. I think you’re safe to ignore this move in all formats.
Brooklyn Gets Picks/Indiana Gets George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora & Picks/Milwaukee Gets Jae Crowder:
The only name to highlight here is Jae Crowder. He’ll certainly be rested, as he hasn’t played a single minute this year, waiting to be traded somewhere that would put him in the rotation. I expect Crowder to take over the PJ Tucker role that Milwaukee walked away from a couple of years ago. Except Crowder will/can actually provide some scoring upside. In Tucker’s role with the Bucks, he received 19.9 minutes per game. Crowder hasn’t averaged below 25 minutes since the 2015 season. He’s a 10-year vet, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be happy to accept that playing time cut. His stock is obviously up $0.00, but there’s no reason to roster a player that’s going to get you 6PPG and 6REB on a good night. There will be some nights he’ll have more fouls than points, trying to lock up some team’s best wing scorer. It is what it is.
Denver Gets Picks/LAC Bones Hyland:
I don’t know how it happened, but Bones found himself out of the rotation in Denver. In LAC, he’s going to be to have a role that gives him at least 20 minutes per game. Frankly, he’d take all of the Terrance Mann minutes if I was the coach. Regardless, he’s never averaged more than 20 minutes per game in either of his first two seasons, so he’s easy to project. 11PPG, 2REB, 3AST. Boom. Norman Powell has the same role essentially, so we know that the Clippers/Tyron Lue will utilize him. LAC is 24th in the league in offensive rating, so he was a perfect acquisition. HOWEVER, if LAC gets Westbrook on the buyout market, then you can expect slight declines from the aforementioned averages. He’ll eat up Bones usage, as he’s more of an on-ball scorer.
Hawks Get Saddiq Bey/Pistons Get Wiseman/Warriors Get, Kevin Knox, & Picks:
Saddiq Bey’s year is a big question mark to me. We all watched him drop 50 in a game last year. Why he’s not part of Detroit’s core in their rebuild is beyond my scope of imagination. I guess it’s just Detroit being Detroit. Now he’s a Hawk, and honestly, it’s a worse situation. He’s behind Trae Young, Murray, Collins, Hunter, Bogdanovic, and Capela. His stock is down, and I’m not sure he’s relevant anymore.
The Pistons came up big in this one. They get James Wiseman who is now free of the burden of trying to be perfect. The Warriors are a championship organization that couldn’t afford to put a young big in the rotation. As a result, Wiseman played slow and scared. In Detroit, he’ll have his opportunity to show why he was the high draft pick we all thought would extend the Warriors championship window. For context, Wiseman’s career game highs are 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. He’s a beast. Let’s just hope Golden State didn’t kill his confidence. Pick Wiseman up in all formats.
As for the Warriors, Knox probably won’t play. They traded Wiseman for luxury tax savings. Nothing to see here.
Lakers Get Mo Bamba/Magic Get Patrick Beverley:
Bamba will be the third string Center for LAL. Don’t bother.
Beverley has already been bought out. I don’t know where he’ll end up, but he’s not likely to be fantasy relevant wherever he ends up. He’s better in real life (depending on who you ask) than fantasy.
Houston Gets Danny Green/Memphis Gets Luke Kennard/LAC Gets Eric Gordon & Picks:
You didn’t know Danny Green was still in the league. I barely knew. He’s still healing, and if he’s not bought out, he’ll be used to mentor the young guys in Houston. They need it.
Memphis won’t use Luke Kennard any more than LAC did, I imagine. He’s not fantasy relevant.
LAC became incredibly deep this trade deadline. They now have three players in Norman Powell, Bones Hyland, and potentially Russ Westbrook that can come off the bench and give you 20+ points in a night. All three of those pieces can also start if there’s an injury. That’s going to be critical on a team with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Eric Gordon is rosterable, but only in a points league. He doesn’t provide as much value in a category league for his roster spot.
Pelicans Get Josh Richardson/Spurs Get DeVonte Graham & Picks:
There’s a part of me that’s being lazy from going through every transaction, but there’s truth to this: there’s no reason for you to roster either of these players. Even if there was an injury. Josh Richardson is a lineup filler in a DFS contest. He doesn’t need to be on anyone’s season-long fantasy team.
As for Graham, he hasn’t been relevant since his 2020 season, and the Spurs are trying to develop their youngest talent and take, not utilize a 27-year-old volume shooter. He won’t make it in your fantasy matchups in any week the rest of the year.