Now that the dust has settled on the NBA trade deadline, let’s see which players have improved or declined in their quest to generate maximum stats for fantasy basketball teams. The Luka trade and the De’Aaron Fox trade were covered in separate posts so I shan’t be talking about those here.
NBA Trade Deadline Winners & Losers
Winner: Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors, SF/PF)
Butler went from not playing in Miami to playing in Golden State, so that right there is a huge win. And he is more motivated to play compared to Miami where the relationship went sour a while ago. We’re only two games into the Jimmy Butler era but the stats are simply lovely – 22.5 points, 5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 14 free throw attempts per game. However, I would be careful not to overrate the free throw attempts. 14 attempts at 82.1% sound great but it’s closer to average than you think. For example, in my main league, 82.1% would help exactly half the teams’ FT% and hurt half the teams’ FT% this week. And, of course, he’s not going to keep up the 14 attempts. Lastly, as always with Butler, there is a risk of random swaths of missed games. Maybe now is a good time to sell high?
Loser: De’Andre Hunter (Cleveland Cavaliers, SF/PF)
Hunter is leaving a situation in Atlanta where he averaged 19 points on 13.3 field goal and 4.8 free throw attempts per game to Cleveland where he’s unlikely to get anything near that. He is just not going to get enough touches. Now, Hunter’s three-pointers might go up a little bit with him having to stand in the corner most of the time but it is unlikely to make up for the lost stats elsewhere.
Winner: Bol Bol (Phoenix Suns, PF)
What can we say about Bol Bol, the man so nice, they named him twice? One thing we can say is that he finds himself as a starter on the Suns now and is producing viable fantasy stat lines. Within the scope of this article, that is the highest compliment I can pay anyone. Perhaps a move of desperation by the Suns but we can enjoy the stats just as well.
Winner: Kyle Kuzma (Milwaukee Bucks, SF/PF)
Kuzma clearly couldn’t be bothered in Washington so now’s his chance to show us what he can do. And I think he can do quite well. The goofball reputation aside, Kuzma is highly skilled and the Bucks could use a highly skilled scorer to replace Khris Middleton. He averaged only 15.2 points per game in Washington this year. Look for that to increase and look to buy low on Kuzma.
Loser: Mark Williams (Charlotte Hornets(?), C)
Williams was on the best run of his career until the evil Lakers traded for him, then took it back, and the Hornets replied with “Hey, no takesie-backsies“. For now, he sits in limbo until the NBA decides on what to do with the trade. If the Lakers uncovered new injuries, he might not be able to return to playing immediately for either team. Returning to the team that just traded him wouldn’t be great for morale either. In any case, not good for his fantasy owners.
Winner: Bogdan Bogdanović (Los Angeles Clippers, SG/SF/PF)
A new start for Bogi who looked all out of sorts in Atlanta. The situation wasn’t helped by Dyson Daniels completely outplaying him for the starting spot. He’s not going to start over Norm Powell either but would be in line for heavy minutes if he could get back to how he was for the previous seven years of his NBA career.
Loser: Ben Simmons (Los Angeles Clippers, PG/SG/C)
May I interest you in the latest Ben Simmons redemption attempt? No? Okay, then.
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