While rumors continue to swirl around the NBA trade deadline, fantasy managers can also wheel and deal to improve their squads. Let's highlight some players to consider buying low on, selling high on or who are worth holding onto at this time.
Buy
Derrick White, Boston Celtics
White has hit a bit of a rough patch. Over his last 11 games, he has averaged a modest 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Those are down from his overall season averages of 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Playing time hasn't been a problem, but he has shot just 33.7% from behind the arc during that 11-game stretch. That's a significant decline from his season mark of 37.9%.
This might be a great opportunity to acquire White at a discount. He shot at least 38.1% from behind the arc in both of his last two seasons, so he should right the ship in that department soon. He is also still providing plenty of defensive stats, averaging 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season. There may be the occasional dud when the Celtics blow out a team and White plays limited minutes as a result, but he should still be a valuable fantasy option for the remainder of the season.
Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors
It has been an injury-filled season for Quickley. He has only appeared in nine games. Currently, he is dealing with a groin issue that forced him to sit out Monday
While rumors continue to swirl around the NBA trade deadline, fantasy managers can also wheel and deal to improve their squads. Let's highlight some players to consider buying low on, selling high on or who are worth holding onto at this time.
Buy
Derrick White, Boston Celtics
White has hit a bit of a rough patch. Over his last 11 games, he has averaged a modest 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Those are down from his overall season averages of 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Playing time hasn't been a problem, but he has shot just 33.7% from behind the arc during that 11-game stretch. That's a significant decline from his season mark of 37.9%.
This might be a great opportunity to acquire White at a discount. He shot at least 38.1% from behind the arc in both of his last two seasons, so he should right the ship in that department soon. He is also still providing plenty of defensive stats, averaging 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season. There may be the occasional dud when the Celtics blow out a team and White plays limited minutes as a result, but he should still be a valuable fantasy option for the remainder of the season.
Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors
It has been an injury-filled season for Quickley. He has only appeared in nine games. Currently, he is dealing with a groin issue that forced him to sit out Monday against the Warriors. He has also been ruled out Wednesday against the Celtics. Prior to that, Quickley had appeared in six straight games.
When Quickley has been able to take the floor, he has been productive. He is averaging 16.2 points, 6.1 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per game. The downside is that he has done so while shooting 37.8% from the field. Those who drafted him might be frustrated with him dealing with yet another injury. For those who have a free IR spot or a roster spot to play with, Quickley might be worth trying to acquire at a discount. His current injury doesn't seem to be a serious one because he is considered as day-to-day. If he can put together a healthy stretch, he has proven to be a good source for points and assists.
Sell
Russell Westbrook, Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets' lack of depth has resulted in Westbrook being an important part of their roster. He has stepped up his production lately, averaging 15.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 three-pointers over his last 16 games. He logged 31 minutes per game during that span, which is up from his season average of 27 minutes per game.
Part of the reason for Westbrook's increased production has been the absence of Aaron Gordon, who recently missed nine games with a calf injury. Another aberration for Westbrook is that he shot 53.6% from the field over those 16 games. He likely won't be able to maintain that type of efficiency, considering he has never shot higher than 47.2% from the field in a season during his career. Once his efficiency starts to normalize and Gordon gets back to playing his usual allotment of minutes, Westbrook could see his numbers decline.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
After a disappointing start to the season, Markkanen has started to increase his scoring production. Over his last 11 games, he has averaged 22.9 points and 3.9 three-pointers per game. He averaged a whopping 11.5 three-point attempts per game during that span. The best stat was that he averaged 18.5 shot attempts from the field, which is a big jump from his season average of 14.8 shot attempts per game.
With Markkanen finally stepping up his game, it's time to consider trading him in fantasy. The Jazz have their sights set on getting one of the top picks in the 2025 Draft. With that in mind, we could see Markkanen rest frequently down the stretch. The Jazz held them out against another bad team in the Nets on Sunday, citing a back injury. He will miss Wednesday's matchup against another bad team in the Hornets. Any nagging injury and Markkanen is unlikely to play. It also wouldn't be a surprise to see him shut down completely at some point during the final month of the season.
Hold
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
Vassell is having a disappointing offensive season, averaging just 15.6 points per game. He had averaged at least 18.5 points in both of the last two seasons. Part of his decline can be attributed to him only shooting 43.2% from the field. After logging at least 31 minutes per game in both of the last two seasons, Vassell is averaging just 29 minutes per game this season.
As disappointing as Vassell has been in the scoring department, there is still a lot to like about him right now. Now that he is healthy again, he has averaged 34 minutes over his last 10 games. Also, his season usage rate of 23.8% is on par with his 23.5% usage rate from last season. The season prior also wasn't much higher at 24.4%. With Vassell seeing more minutes lately, he has also averaged 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals over those 10 games. As disappointing as his start to the season has been, his recent expanded role should continue to enhance his value.
Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
Pritchard was one of the best bench contributors in the league to begin the season. Over his first 27 games, he averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.9 three-pointers per game. He did so while shooting 48.2% from the field and 84.1% from the charity stripe. However, he has taken a step back lately. Across his last 12 games, Pritchard has averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 three-pointers.
The big reason for Pritchard's decline in production is that he shot just 40.9% from the field over his last 12 games. He still averaged 26 minutes per game, which isn't far off from his season average of 28 minutes per game. Coming off the bench and providing instant offense isn't always easy. Bench scorers tend to go through hot and cold stretches. Don't panic and drop Pritchard. Not only should he be able to turn things around soon, but he is also just one Celtics guard injury away from being in an even more prominent role.
