NBA trade season is officially open. Most players that signed new contracts this offseason are now eligible to be dealt. That means two things. Fantasy managers should also be looking to make trades. They also need to have an eye on how a deal could shift a player’s value. Trading away a star means more shots, minutes, and production for other players. How the star adjusts to his new setting has plenty of impacts too. Stay on your toes and be ready to capitalize on any move.
Today, we look at five players that should be traded in fantasy leagues because their value is at a peak or valley.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team
Buy
Here are three players fantasy managers should buy heading into the holidays.
Myles Turner (C – IND)
Turner was a divisive player in fantasy drafts. He had an ADP of 23 on Yahoo and 77 on ESPN. The Pacers center has not lived up to either expectation. He ranks 131 on the FantasyPros Player Rater right now.
Turner’s minutes are up, but the counting stats are all down. That is in part because he is playing more minutes next to Domantas Sabonis. That is forcing Turner onto the perimeter more. That has forced his scoring, shooting percentages, and rebounding to decrease.
The Pacers should only get more comfortable as the season goes on. Turner should start shooting better as he settles into his new role. Expect 13 points, six rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game with upside for more rebounds if Domantas Sabonis is forced to miss time.
Turner should finish inside the top 60 this season. Now is the time for fantasy managers to try to acquire him at a discount.
Khris Middleton (SG/SF – MIL)
Middleton’s minutes are down to start the year, but it is due to having a few blowouts and an injury that forced him to miss seven games. He had a bit of a slow ramp-up after returning. Now over the last five games, Middleton is averaging a shade under 30 minutes per game.
Expect his numbers to tick back up. He is currently ranked 73rd on the player rater. Fantasy managers should be viewing him as a top 40 player. Expect Middleton to average over 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal per game for the rest of the season. Try to acquire him for any player ranked outside the top 50.
Josh Richardson (SG/SF – PHI)
Richardson is finally settling into his new role in Philly. The minutes are slightly down due to him missing time with injury. Assuming he can stay healthy, the playing time will increase to about 33 a night.
Those extra minutes will allow Richardson to produce 15 points, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game with two 3-pointers made. That will push him into the top 75. Richardson is currently 144th on the player rater.
Now is the time to grab him. The best is yet to come and some managers are likely frustrated with his production thus far. Richardson also has sneaky value because the impact of his steals and blocks can go unnoticed. Acquire him for any player ranked outside the top 75 and enjoy the rewards.
Sell
Selling at the peak of a player’s value is a fantastic way to move up the fantasy standings. Here are two players that cannot keep up their current pace.
Zach LaVine (PG/SG – CHI)
LaVine is currently the 12th ranked player on the player rater. His numbers are not vastly different from last season. He is hitting 3.1 three-pointers per game at 40.5 percent, which are both by far career-highs. LaVine also upped his steals to 1.3 after producing at exactly one per game for the last two seasons.
The Bulls have also tied for the most games played in the NBA so far at 29. The average is 27. LaVine has not missed any action, so he has a cushion on his stats just by playing more.
Last season, he finished 51st on the player rater. Fantasy managers should expect something similar this time around. I would trade LaVine away to get back any top-40 talent. That is certainly doable given his production and ranking thus far.
Devonte’ Graham (PG – CHA)
Graham is one of the biggest surprises of the season. He went from averaging 14.7 minutes per game as a rookie to 34.1 in year two. The 24-year-old has also increased his per-36 minute numbers across the board. It has been a monster leap for the Hornets guard.
Charlotte is the team tied with the Bulls at 29 games played. Graham has not missed any action, so he also has a significant leg up in the raw stats department.
He is 20th on the player rater right now. There is no way that keeps up. Most fantasy managers picked him up off the waiver wire, though. The question is what can he be traded for at this stage. I would trade Graham away to receive a surefire top 50 talent in return. That mitigates the risk that the young guard’s production falls off at some point.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team
Tyler Watts is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @tylerpwatts.