Each and every Wednesday, we are going to be providing players that you should not only look to acquire via trade but also players you should look to trade away.
With the tradeline in most leagues being just over a week away (March 2), we only have two more editions of this to write.
Coming out of the All-Star break, I’m going to write about four silly-season contenders (players who come out of nowhere to play a big role in fantasy) for the stretch run of the season.
I always think of Jonas Nader when I think about silly season players, so check out his piece on who he thinks fits the mold after you’re done here. Subscribe to his newsletter, folks.
Let’s get to it.
Check out the latest fantasy basketball expert consensus rankings 
Fantasy Basketball Trade Advice (Week 19)
Trade For
What could have been, Mr. Hampton. From a former top prospect pre-draft to being cut by the Magic, he now has a new lease on his basketball life, as he is signing with the Detroit Pistons.
Yes, the Detroit Pistons, who are missing Cade Cunningham and aren’t going anywhere but the early lottery again. While I like Killian Hayes, he’s been worth -3.8 wins for the Pistons so far this season.
I think there’s a path for the Pistons to tell Hampton, “Show us what you got, kid,” in 18-20 minutes per night to start off. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to find him in the upper-20s in a few weeks.
Hampton and James Wiseman have a chance to be a super silly season spectacular in Detroit.
Trade Away
It feels weird being on the other side of this battle. All year – and for the last two years, really – I’ve been preaching about acquiring Jackson due to his massive upside.
But we aren’t seeing it in Indiana, as Myles Turner isn’t going anywhere, and the Pacers prefer Daniel Theis for one reason or another.
Sure, the Pacers could just say screw it, we are going with all of our young guys as we try to improve our lottery odds. But nothing about Rick Carlisle screams that to me. I’d like to be wrong on this one, but I’d look to flip him to a team that is still holding on to hope.
Trade For
Branham has already been a solid fantasy option for managers, as he’s posted top-100 numbers over the last two weeks.
I don’t expect that to slow down anytime soon, either. Devin Vassell has been on a milk carton for most of the season, and there’s zero expectation at all that he’s going to play again this year as the Spurs are in full tank mode for the No. 1 pick.
Branham has been playing big minutes and has been contributing across the board. He’s my favorite player to grab for silly season 2023.
Trade Away
Again, like Jackson, this is just a frustrating situation. It feels like Alperen Sengun 2.0 from last season. The fantasy community loves a player, but the Rockets won’t play him.
Eason hasn’t played 30 or more minutes since Jan. 28, and the Rockets seem content to play him around 20.
If – and big if – Houston decides to get him more involved on a nightly basis, Eason could be a league-winner.
I just see us holding out hope and having us being forced to wait until next year for Eason to break out.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
