I quit smoking a few years back, but man, I needed one today. The NBA trade deadline came and went, and it was akin to the first night I ever stepped into a club. Look left. Look right. Left. Right. LeftRight. LeftRightLeftRight. So much eye candy that my head was spinning, before I even sat down to enjoy some liqs. Below is a recap of the transactions on trade deadline day, with the corresponding impacts for fantasy.
- Anthony Davis – Remains in New Orleans. FANTASY IMPACT: This is a tough one because Davis has said he’s healthy and wants to play, but the Pelicans can’t play him, for risk of injury before peddling him this summer. Adam Silver can fine teams $100,000 per game if they rest a player during a nationally televised game, but how many of those do the Pelicans have? I’ll do some math. The Pelicans have 27 games remaining. If, and that’s a big if, the league fines the Pelicans for every game Davis doesn’t play, that’s $2.7 million. A lot of money, but pennies compared to assuring Davis stays healthy so that they can receive market value for him. I lean towards Davis being shut down, which obviously means he leaves a sizeable hole in fantasy rosters.
- Marc Gasol – Traded to Toronto. FANTASY IMPACT: Memphis played at the slowest pace in the league. Toronto is tied for 12th in offensive pace, so right away, it’s an uptick for Gasol. He should get plenty of minutes and the efficiency could increase with the players surrounding him. Serge Ibaka takes a big hit here, as his minutes should get cut significantly.
- Jonas Valanciunas – Traded to Memphis. FANTASY IMPACT: Although he is going to a worse situation from an offensive pace perspective, the move should be a positive one for JV. In Toronto, he lost tons of court time because Nick Nurse liked going small with Ibaka at the 5. Memphis plays big and would likely want to keep Jaren Jackson Jr. at power forward. JV was averaging 18 minutes per game with the Raptors. That number should increase to the 20s. Per 36, JV was putting up 24.5 points, 13.8 boards, and 1.5 blocks.
- Nikola Mirotic – Traded to the Bucks. FANTASY IMPACT: An ideal fit for Mirotic, as he should get plenty of run on the second unit and bomb away from downtown. For Ersan Ilyasova and D. J. Wilson, it was nice knowing you guys.
- Markelle Fultz – Sent to Orlando. FANTASY IMPACT: Fultz is still recovering from thoracic outlet syndrom in his shoulder. I doubt he sees the court this season.
- Enes Kanter – Released by the Knicks. FANTASY IMPACT: For Kanter, it depends on where he ends up. If he ends up on a contender, the impact would be limited because he wouldn’t get too much run due to his deficiencies on defense. Say that 10 times. If a non-contender signs him and allows him to run buck wild, then he’s a dub-dub machine and will print fantasy money. I’ve heard rumblings that the Knicks may not buy out DeAndre Jordan after all, because he’s good friends with Kevin Durant. It’s possible that the release of Kanter solidifies Jordan on the team. Mitchell Robinson is now set as the backup center, and he has upside if Jordan is indeed bought out. I’d imagine that the Knicks would want to give him more playing time in order to develop him.
- Wesley Matthews – Bought out and plans to sign with the Pacers. FANTASY IMPACT: He should get minutes, with Victor Oladipo out for the year and Tyreke Evans stinking up the joint. In addition, he’s essentially a Bojan Bogdanovic clone, in that they both shoot 38-39% from downtown, so Matthews could also soak up minutes backing up Bogdanovic. A 3-and-without the D player.
- JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple – Sent to Clippers. FANTASY IMPACT: Uptick for Green, as he should soak up the majority of power forward minutes for the Clippers. Per 36, Green was posting 16.1 points, 10.1 boards, 1.3 steals, and 1 block in Memphis. Temple’s value takes a hit, as the minutes will be solely in a backup role or due to injury.
- Mike Muscala – Traded to the Lakers. FANTASY IMPACT: Provides shooting from the big man position, but how many minutes will he get? Kyle Kuzma will get around 32 minutes, while JaVale McGee should get around….24? He could get the minutes, but he’s strictly a tres and boards guy, so the fantasy impact will be limited.
- Ivica Zubac – Traded to the Clippers. FANTASY IMPACT: No significant difference. Zubac will likely start for the Clippers, but Montrezl Harrell will probably soak up most the minutes. So, Harrell for 28-30 minutes, while Zubac gets 18-20 minutes. With the Lakers, Zubac was averaging 21-22 minutes per game and was a top 250 player. Points, boards, and some blocks.
- James Ennis – Traded to the Sixers. FANTASY IMPACT: None
- Delon Wright – Traded to Memphis. FANTASY IMPACT: While Mike Conley remains in Memphis, Wright should see an uptick in minutes, backing up both Conley and Holiday at shooting guard. The decrease in pace negates some of that minutes boost, but opportunity is opportunity. There is a chance for some ceiling here, if he’s able to leap frog Holiday.
