It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.
Actually, let’s scrap that opening line just this one time (It’s still RIP Brodie Lee forever).
It’s the NBA Trade Deadline Day, which means the whole world is turned on its head. Deals started last week, but the real fun started this week, with a Woj/Shams bomb at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday into Thursday with the Kevin Durant deal.
There’s major fallout from all of the moves, and we are going to look at each one, who you should target via trade or the waiver wire, and players who are hurt the most and you should look to avoid.
Please know that these trades are listed in order, and I’ve been writing them as they happened, so values and roles are shifting throughout.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Basketball Trade Deadline Recap
The trade:
- Dallas receives Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris
- Brooklyn receives Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith
The winners:
Brooklyn, of course, made another move, but we are going to do these in order. Brooklyn has a ton of wings and a lot of elite defense now, and I like the move for DFS and Dinwiddie. Both should start and/or remain keep rotational pieces for the Nets going forward, helping out fantasy managers. Of the two, I like Dinwiddie more. For Dallas, it looks like Josh Green (40 minutes, 14 points) and Jaden Hardy (35% Usage) could be the winners based on the Mavs’ first game of the Kyrie/Luka era.
The losers:
Luka, maybe? I was worried about the historic usage that we saw from him early in the season, and while he’ll still be a stud, he’ll have to do a little less with some actual help from Irving now. I also don’t like this move for Ben Simmons, who doesn’t have the players around him to create.
The trade:
- Utah receives Russell Westbrook, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson
- Los Angeles Lakers receive D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt
- Minnesota receives Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The winners:
Best believe it’s Collin Sexton time. While there’s a lot about his game that we don’t love for 9-cat leagues, I love the scoring and the opportunity. I’d try to grab him wherever I can. I also think we have a chance to acquire Rudy Gobert cheap here, as he gets Conley back to reunite from his Utah days. His price is so low that there’s a good opportunity here. The Lakers desperately needed Vanderbilt, and he’s the main guy I’m targeting from the Lakers’ side.
The losers:
Westbrook won’t play a minute with the Jazz, so we are just waiting for a buy-out situation. Some team will grab him for some reason. The move hurts Rui Hachimura‘s values quite a bit. They’ll need something to happen to Anthony Davis to retain value.
The trade:
- New York receives Josh Hart
- Portland receives Cam Reddish, Svi Mykhailiuk, Ryan Arcidiacono
The winners:
TBD, really. Reddish should play more in Portland (the move was really about the pick the Blazers got from the Knicks) but I think this should open even more playing time for Shaedon Sharpe. He’s who I’d be looking to get.
The losers:
It has to be Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, no? Hart just feels like a Thibs guy.
The trade:
- Toronto receives Jakob Poeltl
- San Antonio receives Khem Birch
The winners:
Zach Collins is the biggest winner here, and it’s what we’ve speculated ever since the Spurs and Poeltl were unable to get an extension done prior to the season. With Poeltl out of the way, Collins is someone you absolutely need to scoop up off of waivers or try to acquire via trade. I also like this landing spot for Poeltl – especially if the Raptors keep him long-term. There was a chance his value either tanked or went up at the deadline, and it looks to be more of the latter.
The losers:
The deal hurts Precious Achiuwa, as he’ll not only leave the starting lineup, but his minutes should dip down, too. I’m not totally out on him, but it’s a big hit to his value.
The trade:
- Phoenix receives Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren
- Brooklyn receives Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder
The winners:
Holy shit. Sorry, editor. But holy shit. What a deal to keep me awake for two hours more than I wanted to be up for. After the initial shock, my gut tells me that Torrey Craig – boring, I know – is the biggest beneficiary from this deal. There’s an open slot at the four now, and I expect Craig – not Warren – to be the guy for Phoenix. Brooklyn has a ton to figure out still with their roster, but Cam Thomas and Bridges should be in line for more offensive looks.
The losers:
The rest of the Nets? They are so deep without any true stars and a ton of forwards. I’m not sure how it shakes out, and if someone wants a piece of the guys, I’d definitely listen and look to not deal with the headache.
The trade:
- Boston receives Mike Muscala
- Oklahoma City receives Justin Jackson
The winners:
No one, really. More time for the OKC bigs, perhaps?
The losers:
N/A
The trade:
- Milwaukee receives Jae Crowder
- Indiana receives Jordan Nwora
- Brooklyn receives Serge Ibaka
The winners:
This frees up some of the playing time with Brooklyn, but Crowder wasn’t a real threat to any big minutes. I could see him playing some role for the Nets. Maybe Nwora can do something in a new spot. I like his game but he’s off the fantasy radar for now.
The losers:
N/A
The trade:
- Denver receives Thomas Bryant
- Los Angeles Lakers receive Davon Reed
The winners:
With Bryant out of the way, it’s even more of a reason to love the landing spot for Vanderbilt in Los Angeles. He’s the big winner.
The losers:
Bryant is a lateral move, but he brings the offense that the Nuggets like out of their bigs with the ability to stretch the floor some. But it’s still a step back from where he was 48 hours ago.
The trade:
- Portland receives Matisse Thybulle
- Philadelphia receives Jalen McDaniels
- Charlotte receives Svi Mykhailiuk
The winners:
I really like this move for both Portland and Philadelphia from a real-life standpoint. Thybulle has shown nothing offensively in his career, but he could see a fresh start in Portland. He’s usable if you need defensive stats.
The losers:
For fantasy, I like McDaniels to play a nice complementary role for the Sixers, as his size, length, and defense should allow him to be a regular rotation piece for Philly, but he’s going to lose the playing time that he had in Charlotte. One of Thybulle and Reddish are likely to see their playing time go down barring another move by Portland.
The trade:
- Los Angeles Clippers receive Bones Hyland
- Denver receives draft picks
The winners:
This deal is confusing to me, but it may be because I have an affinity for Hyland. He’s a run-and-gun scorer, and I really like the thought of him on the Clippers, but it’s all about fit for him. It could be really, really good.
The losers:
This stinks for Reggie Jackson. Norman Powell is the only other Clipper I trust outside of the big two.
The trade:
- Phoenix receives Darius Bazley
- OKC receives Dario Saric
The winners:
This could be interesting with Bazley in Phoenix. There’s no clear winner yet, as we have to wait to see how it plays out.
The losers:
The loser will be between T.J. Warren, Torrey Craig, and Bazley. One of them is going to lose major minutes. I’m avoiding the situation and not speculating.
The trade:
- Golden State receives Kevin Knox
- Atlanta receives Saddiq Bey
- Detroit receives James Wiseman
The winners:
Well, OK, then. This is a weird deal. Atlanta receives yet another wing, and Detroit finds another big man. I don’t know if there is a true winner here, except maybe Kevon Looney, though he has the safest job in basketball. I might try to trade for Wiseman at a dirt-cheap price in dynasty leagues, as he’s essentially sunk cost at this point.
The losers:
It has to be the other Detroit big men and the Atlanta wings. Bey joins a crowded team and is going to hurt A.J. Griffin, Jalen Johnson, and De’Andre Hunter.
The trade:
- Houston receives John Wall, Danny Green
- Memphis receives Luke Kennard
- Los Angeles Clippers receive Eric Gordon
The winners:
Kennard should fit in nicely with Memphis, given them good perimeter shooting with the second unit and more consistent playing time. I like this a lot for fantasy for him. It should be free Tari Eason season in Houston, but I don’t know the two are exactly correlated, but he’s my favorite guy to target in the second half.
The losers:
The young guys for Memphis take a hit, but they weren’t exactly fantasy viable in standard leagues. I don’t like this for Gordon, either, as he joins a crowded Clippers team comprised of a lot of the same types of guys.
The trade:
Los Angeles Lakers receive Mo Bamba
Orlando Magic receive Pat Beverley
The winners:
The winner here is Bamba, as he gets a chance to rejuvenate his career in Los Angeles. He can hit threes and block shots, giving the Lakers some much-needed length. He’ll be capped, still, but his per-minute numbers will still be incredible.
The losers:
N/A. Pat Bev isn’t taking away from any guards in Orlando and will likely be bought out.
The trade:
- New Orleans receives Josh Richardson
- San Antonio receives Devonte’ Graham
The winners:
Look for the Spurs to give more usage to Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley with Richardson out of the way. I prefer Branham of the two, and he should be a priority add as one of the biggest winners of the deadline.
The losers:
I don’t see this having a ton of impact for the Pelicans in a negative way. It could hurt Richardson the most, and the player with the other impact would be Naji Marshall, but both won’t be fantasy relevant once the Pelicans are healthy.
The trade:
- Los Angeles Clippers receive Mason Plumlee
- Charlotte Hornets receive Reggie Jackson
The winners:
Mark Williams time, baby! Well, it’s hard to trust Steve Clifford, but Williams should get the bulk of the run going forward for the Hornets with Plumlee out of the way. It’s also a win for Hyland now that John Wall and Jackson are gone from LA, but the team aspect still hinders his value.
The losers:
It was fun while it lasted, Mason, but we knew that this was going to happen. He was putting up fantastic fantasy numbers, but now he’ll go back to being an injury-streamer as the backup big man.
The trade:
- Golden State receives Gary Payton II
- Portland receives Kevin Knox
The winners:
We saw the role that Payton had with the Warriors last season, and I expect much of the same this year. With injuries, he could have some value, but it’s backend unless Klay Thompson and Steph Curry are both out. This should free up time in Portland for Reddish, Sharpe, and Thybulle more.
The losers:
The biggest losers are Donte DiVincenzo, Moses Moody, and Ty Jerome. DiVincenzo was brought in to fill the Payton role this year and hasn’t been as successful at it, while Moody hasn’t taken the step many had hoped.
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