Each and every Wednesday, we will be providing players that you should not only look to acquire via trade but also players you should look to trade away.
Going forward, where fitting, with the data that we’ve seen so far, we’ll build in potential trade scenarios for those you should look to acquire and those you should look to move.
Let’s get to it, and happy NBA season.
Check out the latest fantasy basketball expert consensus rankings 
Trade For
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that you should inquire about Kawhi Leonard. Since then, his value has only plummeted more. So let’s go back to the injured well with Anthony Davis, who is already battling through a back injury.
The thing is, even with his injury, Davis is still the No. 17-ranked player on the year for fantasy. His managers are terrified, given that he’s hobbled every game and is at risk of missing time. But when he’s on the floor, he’s still a fantasy stud – just not the superstar or player that he was during the bubble.
Given the concern around his injury, you can acquire a top-20 player at a non-top-20 cost.
What’s more, if there’s actually fire to the smoke about him being available in a deal, Davis could land in a good spot with an upgrade at point guard, which has seemed to help him in the past.
Right now, most of his buckets are coming off cutting to the rim, as he’s struggled to find his jump shot and is struggling at the rim.
A little spacing could go a long way to unlocking AD. It’s a gamble, but it’s a rare situation where you can trade for a player who is playing well, and the current manager would be fine getting rid of him.
Players to trade for him that are ranked higher:
Nikola Vucevic, Lauri Markkanen, OG Anunoby
Trade Away
The evolution of Lopez as a player is unlike any other – or few, at least – that we have seen. Lopez started his career as an interior-defending, back-to-the-basket traditional center.
Now, one of the former Stanford Twin Towers is a mid-range and three-point specialist as a big man. And we’re seeing the defense at a high level this year again.
While I like Lopez, and I think he was a draft-day steal, his stock will only go down once Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton return to the lineup – not to mention Giannis Antetokounmpo getting healthy.
Add to it the back injury that Lopez had last season, high numbers in shooting marks – including a 60.2 eFG% mark – and the Bucks turned to Bobby Portis in crunch time against smaller lineups, and it’s a great time to look to trade Lopez to a team needing a center since he’s ranked No. 28 on the season.
Players to trade for him that are ranked lower:
Keldon Johnson, Evan Mobley, Jarred Vanderbilt
Trade For
Horford is putting up top-150 numbers on the season, which is good. But over the last two weeks and last week, he’s putting up top-80 and top-48 numbers, respectively.
But because he’s older, we ignore him.
But he’s doing exactly what we’d hoped he’d do with Robert Williams sidelined, playing 30-plus minutes per night and helping across the board.
People don’t value Horford, and that’s OK. They worry about what happens when Williams returns as if Time Lord doesn’t have chronic knee issues and the Celtics won’t baby him until the playoffs.
My concern is how back the Celtics have been against guards in the paint without Williams, but Horford is too valuable to what they do to sit. He’s one of a handful – Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Malcolm Brogdon – key Celtics players who have a positive defensive eFG% when he’s on the court.
I’d make offers for him this week while you can still trade for him on the low.
Players to trade for him that are ranked higher:
Malik Monk, Obi Toppin, Brandon Clarke, Aaron Gordon
Trade Away
Edwards was the most bet on and the overall betting favorite to take home the Most Improved Player Award this year, and it made sense. Third-year players are always the favorite for it, and we know the All-Star level that he can play at.
But I had my money elsewhere (hello, Tyrese Haliburton) because I was worried that Edwards wouldn’t get enough scoring volume to put up the type of numbers he’d need to take the award home.
Those worries translated over to fantasy, too, as I wasn’t sure how he’d fit with Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell. As defensive-focused as Gobert is, I wasn’t expecting him not to be involved in the offense.
We’ve seen those concerns carry over, as Edwards is coming in as the No. 53 player in fantasy so far with a line of 22.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists,1.5 STOCKs, while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.
While he’s averaging two more field-goal attempts this year compared to last year, and his Usage leads the Minnesota starters, his turnovers are up, and he’s seeing a decline in his mid-range game from all locations without any tangible changes at the rim or from three-point range.
The Minnesota starting unit – Russell, Towns, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Gobert – has a -10.7 differential on the year, the eighth-worst among lineups with at least 100 possessions.
Ant still has a ton of upside – and name value – which should fetch a nice top-30 return to the right trade partner.
Players to trade for him that are ranked lower:
Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Damian Lillard
Other Players to trade for:
- Gary Trent Jr. (SG/SF – TOR)
- Evan Mobley (PF/C – CLE)
- Isaiah Hartenstein (C – NYK)
- Jabari Smith Jr. (PF – HOU)
Other Players to trade away:
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
