Rotation Notes: The Deadline Neareth

I know I didn’t do one of these last week, let alone two. I live in North Carolina, and we had snow, and then work is closed, and then I forgot my laptop, and just didn’t do it! Go ahead, slash my salary. I did get to watch a fair bit of hoops, looked at some box scores and what not.

Right now, the season is a grind for everyone. Baseball is coming. Time to go ahead and keep making moves for that late season push.

This week, let’s look at some bottom feeders, who might be on the block, and who would benefit:

Wizards: Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valančiūnas would be obvious guys to be moved/demoted. Alex Sarr has been and continues to be the guy to watch going forward. He’s already playing 25-30 minutes a night; removing these guys would get him to 36. Marvin Bagley would be a deep league add in this case. Malcolm Brogdon would also be a solid move candidate, and would instantly lose all value if he’s dealt.

Raptors: While they have an atrocious roster, they don’t seem to be a team that would sell off pieces. Guys like Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett will be built around, not dealt for low picks. This team has the feel of a team that is better than their record and has some young talent to develop. Bruce Brown is a decent target for needy teams; this would benefit Grady Dick. On that note, I’m out, can’t whip out any of those jokes.

Hornets: Karma got them again with Brandon Miller going down for the season. Don’t employ abusers and guys who help murders, I guess? Nick Smith, Jr. is the pickup here as he has unlimited run as the starting shooting guard here. Also, kudos to Mark Williams, who looks again like the prototypical rim running shot blocking beast he was supposed to be last year.

Nets: Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson would be the most attractive pieces here. Zaire Williams already is getting solid minutes. Moving these two would give Noah Clowney and Day’ron Sharpe chances to solidify their fantasy value. Sharpe at least is an established rebounder. Both would be instant grabs, and might be good moves to stash if you have the room.

Bulls: If the years rumored deal of Zach LaVine goes through, Ayo Dosunmu would be the presumed starter. Patrick Williams also will be losing minutes soon as he’s not good. If you want a fun stash, Matas Buzelis could get up to 20 minutes in a deep league, but comments from the coaching staff don’t lend themselves to optimism that he’s going to get there. Jalen Smith is another to watch if Nikola Vucevic is dealt, he’d be an instant pickup as a starting center.

Jazz: Oooooh, the rumors be flying! Collin Sexton is on the block, as is Walker Kessler if the return is right. John Collins also should possibly hire a  moving service, or at least start researching a good price for one. Kyle Filipowski is a good stash as the presumptive frontcourt starter, and Isaiah Collier would get guard minutes if you’re into that kind of thing. Rookie forward Cody Williams is there, and he could get some run to see what they have there. So when Utah deals, you have the names. They just might not be good, but the minutes will be there.

Blazers: Jerami Grant is always in trade rumors. If he goes, Kris Murray and Shaedon Sharpe get more minutes. Also keep holding on to Donovan Clingan, even if Robert Williams and DeAndre Ayton are sticking around he’ll get more and more time on the court.

Spurs: Any move made would be to free up some minutes for Stephen Castle. Stephen Castle is their future cornerstone. Not sure if a major move is coming here, actually.

Suns: Bradley Beal, you poor guy. Your contract just isn’t good, and everyone wants to use you to pick up a good player! My guess would be that Ryan Dunn would move back to the bench, and whatever good player is acquired starts for him. Josef Nurkic is out of the rotation and really isn’t good, so comfortably move on and pretend he doesn’t exist.

So there’s a brief overview from my perch. The deadline is February 6, so now is the time to add if you feel strongly about any of these players. Good luck!