Fantasy Basketball Trade Value Chart: Week 2 (2019)

We’ve made it through our first week of the fantasy basketball season already, and it’s time to talk trade!

If you’re anything like me, you love to trade – it’s the best part of playing fantasy sports. Trading really allows you to dig in as the general manager of your imaginary squad and improve your team. In my friends and family points league, it seems like there’s a trade at least every other day (if not every single day), and I can’t see either of my brothers-in-law without talking trade and trying to strike a deal. The trade market is a funny thing, though. It’s fluid and constantly changing, week-by-week and sometimes, game-by-game.

That’s why every other week, I’m going to bring you a trade chart that breaks down the value of the top players in fantasy basketball by assigning them a number. That number can be used to make a comparison with other players to decide if you’re making a fair trade. A simple one-for-one trade of Kyrie Irving (44) for Kristaps Porzingis (44) is dead even. If you want to make a two-for-two deal, simply add the players’ values together. A deal of Luka Doncic (45) and RJ Barrett (22) = 67 and could be traded for Paul George (36) and Kemba Walker (31), a combination that also equals 67. Obviously, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all list of trade values, as league size, available roster spots and team needs all come into play when evaluating a potential trade. If you can fill a roster spot that needs attention or improve in some weak categories, then making the deal makes sense, even if you feel like you’re overpaying. The same is true of acquiring top-tier studs like Karl-Anthony Towns (50) or Giannis Antetokounmpo (49). You’ll likely have to offer the house to get your hands on these guys, but that’s the price for excellence.

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Values here are for eight-category roto formats, but you can use these values for nine-category and points leagues without a lot of discrepancies. 

Guard

Doncic is clearly the most valuable guard available in fantasy right now, coming in just ahead of Kyrie Irving. Doncic is a nightly threat for a triple-double, and his ability to stuff the stat sheet gives him an advantage over Irving, who has played like a man possessed in the early goings of his Brooklyn tenure. Dame Dolla has been huge for Portland this season, and he should continue to produce monster numbers. Despite Westbrook outplaying Harden thus far, I think Harden will get it together and finish the season as the more valuable fantasy play — though not by a mile, as some may have estimated heading into the season. Curry has had a somewhat tumultuous start to the season, while Golden State struggles, but he’s still an incredibly value player who will get back on track. Trae Young is dealing with an ankle injury, so his value is depressed slightly. Rookies come in strong here, too. Ja Morant has flashed his huge upside already, ditto Tyler Herro, Colby White looks like a pure scoring machine, and Darius Garland has been solid early in the season.

Forward

The Greek Freak lands as the most highly valued forward this week, followed closely by Lakers big man Anthony Davis. No surprises with the top two players, but the next man up is unexpectedly Kristaps Porzingis. The unicorn has been incredible through the first week of the season, showing that he’s fully recovered from the torn ACL that kept him out of every game last season. Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James round out the top five, with Leonard slightly more valuable at the moment. Jimmy Butler was strong in his Heat debut Tuesday, and he should enjoy a high usage rate and an elite level of production all year. Injuries have claimed Zion Williamson and Marvin Bagley III, and those players are valued appropriately.

Center

Towns is in serious contention to finish the season as the No. 1 overall player in fantasy, thanks to his strong work in virtually every category on any given night. He’s more highly valued than any other player in this article in our first edition. Embiid and the Joker come in right behind him. Andre Drummond is likely to lead the league in rebounding for the third consecutive season, giving him a very high floor. Mitchell Robinson is fairly low here because of his sub-20-minute per night workload. Bam Adebayo is surprisingly high on the list because of his enormous contributions to the Heat thus far. DeAndre Ayton makes a nice trade chip because he’s missing time with a suspension and should be fully healthy and rested when he returns.

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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.