Buy/Sell: What A Trade

The talk of this week and probably the whole season is obviously the trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks that included multiple time All Stars Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. To say that it was a shocker is quite an understatement as the GMs of the two teams did not communicate anything to either parties, agreed relatively swiftly and shook the NBA landscape. While some of the fantasy implications will be analyzed below, what I found quite interesting is the reactions from the NBA world, particularly for the fact that a 25 year old superstar that brought his team to the finals can be moved on such short notice. Anthony Edwards had an interesting take as always.

Before the trade I would swear the TImberwolves would never move Edwards on their own volition, but now nothing seems certain. Finally, take a look at the stunned faces of KD and the rest of the Suns when they learned the news live on the bench. Even Mike Budenholzer is distracted from the game and wants to learn more.

Regarding last week’s suggestions, Spencer Dinwiddie should no have extended usage due to the shocking Luka Doncic trade, while Vasilije Micic was servicable as the starting point guard in Charlotte so continue utilizing him until LaMelo Ball returns. Finally, I had Naz Reid as a “Sell” suggestion, but Julius Randle got injured so he reclaimed a lot of his lost minutes.

Buy

Matas Buzelis: The Chicago Bulls pulled the plug on the Zach LaVine era by trading him to Sacramento and not getting anything substantial back in terms of high usage players. What is even more important is that they managed to get back their 1st round pick in 2025 so the incentive to start playing their younger players more is a reality once again. Matas Buzelis is the prime example of that, as his minutes have increased significantly and he even had a 10/10 performance from the field last night. Of course we can not expect such efficiency but don’t be surprised if he starts some games as the silly season approaches (15% owned).

Ayo Dosunmu: For exactly the same reasons as Matas Buzelis, Dosunmu’s opportunities should continuously rise and he is already starting, so give him a look if you need a boost in assists and triples from the waiver wire (36% owned).

Sell

PJ Washington: PJ Washington is enjoying a good season and particularly a great month but Anthony Davis’ arrival complicates things a lot. Based on the intel from Dallas, Davis is expected to start as a power forward and with Daniel Gafford also irreplaceable due to his rim protecting, it seems like the loser here will be PJ Washington. I can see his minutes reduced closer to 30 per game and while this does not destroy his value completely, I would feel much safer to move on from him now and let another owner deal with the headache.

Nikola Vucevic: Few people, if any, could predict that Nikola Vucevic would be ranked 11th in per game value at this point of the season but I fear this will not last, depending on the upcoming moves the Chicago Bulls will make ahead of the trade deadline. There is a real possibility based on the reports that Vuc is moved to a contender where it is hard to imagine maintaining this kind of statistical output. Even if he stays in Chicago, we can expect a lot of maintenance and reduced appearances with the Bulls in control of their pick in 2025, so it is a good idea to try and see what you can get for him in a trade.