We are just one day away from the NBA trade deadline. As teams continue to wheel and deal, fantasy managers can also make some moves to fortify their squads for the stretch run. Here are some players to consider buying low on, selling high on or who are worth holding onto at this time.
Buy
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Banchero has struggled with his efficiency since returning from injury. Over 12 games, he has shot 38.8% from the field, 25.8% from behind the arc and 61.3% from the free-throw line. That has left him with an underwhelming average of 19.8 points per game during that span.
As much as Banchero has disappointed in the scoring column, he still averaged 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists during that 12-game span. Efficiency has been a problem for him early in his career, but he wasn't a major determent last season while shooting 45.5% from the field. As he continues to work his way back into form, expect him to shoot closer to that mark, rather than under 39% like he has been recently. This might be a rare opportunity to acquire him at a discount.
DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings
The Kings made a big splash already, sending De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs in a three-team trade. They received Zach LaVine and draft picks in return. DeRozan and LaVine are very familiar with each other since they just played three seasons together on the Bulls. DeRozan averaged at least 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and
We are just one day away from the NBA trade deadline. As teams continue to wheel and deal, fantasy managers can also make some moves to fortify their squads for the stretch run. Here are some players to consider buying low on, selling high on or who are worth holding onto at this time.
Buy
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Banchero has struggled with his efficiency since returning from injury. Over 12 games, he has shot 38.8% from the field, 25.8% from behind the arc and 61.3% from the free-throw line. That has left him with an underwhelming average of 19.8 points per game during that span.
As much as Banchero has disappointed in the scoring column, he still averaged 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists during that 12-game span. Efficiency has been a problem for him early in his career, but he wasn't a major determent last season while shooting 45.5% from the field. As he continues to work his way back into form, expect him to shoot closer to that mark, rather than under 39% like he has been recently. This might be a rare opportunity to acquire him at a discount.
DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings
The Kings made a big splash already, sending De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs in a three-team trade. They received Zach LaVine and draft picks in return. DeRozan and LaVine are very familiar with each other since they just played three seasons together on the Bulls. DeRozan averaged at least 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in each of those seasons. Those would all be improvements over his averages of 21.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season.
Not only did the Kings trade away Fox, but they thinned out their bench a bit by sending Kevin Huerter to the Bulls. While LaVine is a very good scorer, he won't be a leader of the team in the way that Fox was. He's also not a point guard, so DeRozan might be asked to help facilitate more for his teammates. DeRozan's arrow is pointing up right now.
Sell
Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks
Gafford has been a fantasy force since entering the starting lineup for the Mavericks. Over the last 10 games, he has averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 3.4 blocks. He shot 71.0% from the field and 80.4% from the free-throw during that span. The key was that he logged 30 minutes per game, compared to his season average of 22 minutes per game.
The Mavericks shocked the basketball world over the weekend, sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers. They received Anthony Davis back in the deal, which deals a major blow to Gafford. Davis has said many times that he prefers to play power forward, so expect him to start alongside Gafford. However, Gafford was the Mavericks' lone big man with Dereck Lively II (ankle) out. Davis is certainly capable of playing center, so Gafford could see his minutes decline moving forward. The only potential wrinkle here is that Gafford left Tuesday's game against the 76ers with a shoulder injury. If that injury is minor, then the time might be right to try and sell high on Gafford.
John Collins, Utah Jazz
Collins has been a pleasant surprise for the Jazz, averaging 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.5 three-pointers per game. He has also shot 53.5% from the field and 87.0% from the free throw line. The only downside that has come with rostering him in fantasy is that injuries have limited Collins to 31 games.
Collins is healthy now and has continued to produce. The Jazz figure to be sellers at the trade deadline, so there could be two paths staring at Collins. One is that he is traded to a contender and sees a reduced role with better talent around him. Another is that he could stay with the Jazz, but receive ample rest days down the stretch as the team tries to improve their lottery odds. Either one would deal a blow to Collins' fantasy value, so try to shop him now.
Hold
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry is not having a season up to his standards. He hasn't exactly struggled, averaging 22.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 4.2 three-pointers per game. However, he has shot just 43.7% from the field. With a lack of viable scoring options around him, opposing teams are able to focus even more on trying to slow Curry down. His numbers are even worse lately with him averaging 17.9 points and shooting 37.2% from the field over his last seven games.
If the Warriors make a move to get Curry some help at the deadline, he could see his efficiency numbers improve with the opposing defense having to focus more of their attention on slowing down his teammates. Even if the Warriors don't make a move, Curry has still been a valuable fantasy option. Don't let his recent shooting slump result in a panic move to trade him away at a discount.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
Murphy exploded against the Nuggets on Monday, scoring 41 points and hitting eight three-pointers. In his previous game, he scored 40 points and hit eight three-pointers against the Celtics. Over his last 11 games, Murphy has averaged 26.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.7 three-pointers.
The stars could be aligning for Murphy to be a fantasy force down the stretch. Dejounte Murray (Achilles) is out for the remainder of the season, so additional shots will be up for grabs. If the Pelicans are unable to trade Brandon Ingram (ankle), he still might not play much, even when he is healthy, as the team is well out of the playoff hunt. With their eyes on the future, they could lean heavily on Murphy to lead their scoring attack moving forward. This might seem like a sell-high opportunity with Murphy, but holding onto him could prove to be the wise decision.
