X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Making Sense Of The Trade Deadline - Part 2

Last week we took a look at a few of the early deadline deals.  Now we'll take a look at the last minute deals that took place in the lead up to the NBA trade deadline.

This year's busy trade deadline saw a flurry of moves. We'll only be looking at the moves that are expected to have fantasy relevance, as well as some of the rumored trades that didn't happen.

Let's begin with the Cavs deciding to go full revamp.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Will Priester (@ChiefJustice06) from RotoGrinders leads the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with his exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

The Cavs Shuffle The Deck

The Deals:

Cavaliers acquire: Jordan Clarkson, Larry NanceLakers acquire: Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, Cavs 2018 first-round pick

Cavaliers acquire: Rodney Hood, George HillJazz acquire: Jae Crowder, Derrick RoseKings acquire: Joe Johnson (waived), Iman Shumpert, 2020 second-round pick

Winners:

PF/C Larry Nance Jr. (Cleveland Cavaliers): The big winner from the first deal is Larry Nance, who goes from an inconsistent role in a crowded front-court with the Lakers to a much more defined role with the Cavaliers.

Nance has a fantasy-friendly game, the rare big with good efficiency numbers in both FG and FT combined with a decent helping of defensive stats and has been able to return top-100 value in stretches when he is given low to mid 20s in minutes. He should find that in Cleveland as the starting power forward (he is better than Tristan Thompson) and this move should help him become a top-100 guy rest of season.

PG Isaiah Thomas (Los Angeles Lakers):  Thomas was an unmitigated disaster in Cleveland, and he really has nowhere to go but up. A change of scenery should do him good, and while he will not return to the heights he reached in Boston as a top-20 player, he will be a lot better than he has been so far this season.

Thomas is clearly a system player that benefited from Brad Stevens' sets and the way Stevens used him in off-ball situations, and playing for an inferior coach without a system really exposed him this year. Coach Luke Walton comes from the Steve Kerr tree, and should find creative ways to use IT off-ball, and that should help him recoup some of his value. He won't sniff top-20 value this season, or probably ever, but top-70 is a reasonable expectation.

PG/SG George Hill (Cleveland Cavaliers):  Like Nance, Hill moves from a situation in which his minutes were inconsistent to one where his role is defined. One of the biggest reasons for Hill's decline in play this season is motivation, and that changes with the move from the Sacramento tire fire to a playoff contender in Cleveland.

Hill has shown in the past that he can produce, and it's not a stretch to expect solid top-100 value going forward.

Neutral:

SG/SF Rodney Hood (Cleveland Cavaliers): The needle doesn't move much on "Rocket" Rodney Hood with the move to Cleveland. His efficiency should go up a bit playing next to Lebron, but his game will remain relatively similar. He won't be asked to create offense as much as he was in Utah and will probably spot up for 3 more often but this won't be enough to really move the needle too much on his fantasy value. He is who he is.

PF/C Channing Frye, SF Jae Crowder, SG/SF Joe Johnson, SG Iman ShumpertNone of these guys were standard league guys before,and not much changes. Crowder is the only one who might but he is still going to be behind Ingles and expected to take on a 25 minute-ish role. That's not enough to make him relevant again.

Losers:

PG/SG Jordan Clarkson (Cleveland Cavaliers): Clarkson's game translates terribly to fantasy, and what value he did have comes from a 28% usage rate with the Lakers mostly running the second unit. With the Cavs, he will have to share the floor with Lebron for big chunks of games, and the usage rate is sure to drop down from that lofty number. He still contributes nothing in defense and doesn't shoot that many 3s, which means he doesn't look to be a standard league guy moving forward.

 

Lord Elfrid Payton Moves To The Desert

The Deal:

Suns acquire: Elfrid Payton; Bulls acquire: Second-round pick

Winners:

PG/SG DJ Augustin (Orlando Magic): Augustin has always been a popular pickup whenever Payton went down during the past few seasons, and now, he has the starting spot to himself. Augustin brings a valuable mix of assists, 3s and decent steals, and will be a top-100 guy as the starting PG in Orlando.

Neutral:

PG Elfrid Payton (Phoenix Suns): Not much changes with Payton's outlook as he should still have a high-20s to low 30s minutes projection and the situation doesn't really change much. Devin Booker might cut into his ball handling a bit but it shouldn't really be enough to make a tangible impact. He's still a top-75 ish guy.

Losers: 

Orlando Magic Fans: The Magic selling really low on a former lottery pick in a rebuilding season and making no other moves really makes no sense, and I feel bad for Magic fans as the team still look like it has no real idea what its trying to do.

 

Big Apple Mudiay

The Deal:

Knicks acquire: Emmanuel Mudiay; Bulls acquireDevin Harris, second-round pick; Mavericks acquire Doug McDermott, second-round pick

Winner:

PG Emmanuel Mudiay (New York Knicks): The Knicks are taking a flier on a former lottery pick, and with Kristaps Porzingis out for the season, it'd be in their interests to see what they have in the ex-Nugget. While Mudiay probably won't, and shouldn't get more minutes than Frank Ntilikina down the stretch, he will definitely get more minutes than the 17.8 he had in Denver this season.

Loser:

PG Jarrett Jack (New York Knicks): More a function of the Porzingis injury than the trade itself, Jack looks to be the odd man out at PG for the Knicks. He's had spurts of value at times this season, but with the Knicks season over, it's in their interests to see what they have in both Frank Ntilikina and Mudiay, and those minutes will come at the expense of Jarrett Jack.

 

Wade Goes Home

The Deal:

Heat acquire: Dwyane Wade; Cavs acquiresecond-round pick

TBD:

PG/SG Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat): Wade going back to Miami is an interesting story and he hasn't been a relevant fantasy guy this year, but there is one scenario in which Wade could move to relevance. Miami is significantly over-performing its metrics right now and the correction has the team in a spiral that could see them on the outside looking in for a playoff spot come the final stretch of the fantasy season. This may be Wade's final season in the NBA, and if Miami were in a position where they feel they can't make the playoffs, they may decide to give the Heat legend the Kobe treatment as a final send-off.

If that were the case, he may get the minutes and usage to be a top-100 guy again, and could swing the fantasy playoffs for some owners. It's unlikely, but it is something to keep an eye out for.

 

The Deals That Didn't Happen

Lou Williams, Tyreke Evans and Deandre Jordan remain with their current teams

Winners:

PG/SG Lou Williams (Los Angeles Clippers): Sweet Lou gets to continue his great season and the Clippers are essentially his team for the rest of the year. If Lou got dealt, there would have been a massive drop in his expected production as a lesser option on a contending team, but as is, staying put is the best news for owners.

PG/SG Tyreke Evans (Memphis Grizzlies): The same logic applies to Tyreke Evans, none of his suitors were going to give him a 32 minute role with a 28% usage rate. Staying in Memphis will let Evans keep his top-60 ranking for the rest of the season.

 

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Khris Middleton15 mins ago

Available For Wednesday's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo20 mins ago

Cleared For Wednesday
Damian Lillard29 mins ago

Upgraded To Available On Wednesday
Nikola Jokic2 hours ago

Unavailable On Wednesday
Miles McBride2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Karl-Anthony Towns2 hours ago

To Play On Wednesday
Andre Drummond2 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Alexandre Sarr2 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Bub Carrington2 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Kyle Kuzma2 hours ago

Will Play On Wednesday
Jalen Suggs3 hours ago

Out For Thursday Versus Minnesota
Zion Williamson3 hours ago

Sitting Out Versus Portland
Trent Miner3 hours ago

Set For First Career Start On Wednesday
Aaron Gordon3 hours ago

Ruled Out Wednesday
Beck Malenstyn3 hours ago

To Remain Out On Thursday
Jiri Kulich4 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Thatcher Demko4 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday
Nikola Jokic4 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday Versus Clippers
Elias Pettersson4 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Against Capitals
Jonathan Drouin4 hours ago

Out Wednesday
Paolo Banchero4 hours ago

Expected To Return On Friday Versus Bucks
Aaron Ekblad4 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Wednesday
Kawhi Leonard5 hours ago

Out Versus Denver
Davis Thompson5 hours ago

Starts 2025 Season Well
PGA5 hours ago

J.T. Poston Disappoints At The Sentry
Chris Kirk5 hours ago

Sputters At The Sentry
Billy Horschel5 hours ago

Looks Forward To Sony Open
Brian Harman5 hours ago

Gets 2025 Started With A Rough Start
PGA5 hours ago

Cameron Davis Finishes Strong At The Sentry
Keegan Bradley5 hours ago

Starts 2025 Season Well
NFL5 hours ago

Bill Belichick Has No Plans To Return To The NFL
Deebo Samuel Sr.6 hours ago

49ers Plan To Bring Deebo Samuel Sr. Back Next Year
Zay Flowers7 hours ago

Absent From Wednesday's Practice
Braxton Garrett7 hours ago

To Miss 2025 Season Following Elbow Surgery
Taylor Pendrith9 hours ago

Is A Dark-Horse Pick For Sony Open
Jalen Hurts9 hours ago

Expected To Practice On Wednesday
Eric Cole9 hours ago

Looking For Bounce-Back Performance At Sony Open
Zay Flowers9 hours ago

A Long Shot To Play On Wild-Card Weekend
Sahith Theegala10 hours ago

A Big Name To Stay Away From At Sony Open
Nick Dunlap10 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Sony Open
Tom Kim11 hours ago

Making Season Debut At Sony Open
Deni Avdija12 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Wednesday's Contest
Jerami Grant12 hours ago

Remains Unavailable Wednesday
Ben Simmons12 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
D'Angelo Russell12 hours ago

To Miss Second Straight Game
Karl-Anthony Towns12 hours ago

Questionable To Face Raptors
Hideki Matsuyama12 hours ago

Looks To Make History At Waialae
Sean Monahan14 hours ago

Exits Tuesday's Game Early
Filip Chytil14 hours ago

Exits On Tuesday With Upper-Body Injury
Brock Faber14 hours ago

Sustains Injury On Tuesday
Steven Stamkos14 hours ago

Exits Early On Tuesday
Evgeni Malkin14 hours ago

Sidelined With Upper-Body Injury
Josh Morrissey14 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Lower Body Injury
Tanner Scott1 day ago

Mets Meet With Tanner Scott
Justin Verlander1 day ago

Signs One-Year Contract With San Francisco
NFL1 day ago

Ashton Jeanty Declares For 2025 NFL Draft
Joey Daccord1 day ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Colin Miller1 day ago

To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Justin Faulk1 day ago

Rejoins Blues Lineup Against Wild
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Remains Out On Tuesday
Chris Kreider1 day ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Jacob Middleton1 day ago

Available Tuesday
Troy Terry1 day ago

Uncertain For Tuesday's Action
Tua Tagovailoa1 day ago

Dolphins Have "No Concern At All" About Tua Tagovailoa's Long-Term Health
Las Vegas Raiders1 day ago

Raiders Fire Head Coach Antonio Pierce
David Montgomery1 day ago

Expected To Return For Divisional Round
Tyreek Hill1 day ago

Dolphins Say Tyreek Hill Did Not Request A Trade
Brandon Woodruff1 day ago

Hopes To Be Ready By Opening Day
Zay Flowers1 day ago

Not At Tuesday's Practice
Luke Clanton1 day ago

A Player To Watch At Sony Open
Thomas Detry1 day ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of Sony Open
Russell Henley1 day ago

A Course Horse At Sony Open
Stephan Jaeger1 day ago

A Risky Option At Sony Open
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

Makes 2025 Debut At Sony Open
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

Looks To Stay Hot In Hawaii
Sepp Straka1 day ago

A Safe Option At Sony Open
Michael Thorbjornsen1 day ago

A Dark Horse At Sony Open
Tennessee Titans1 day ago

Titans Retaining Brian Callahan As Head Coach
Tennessee Titans1 day ago

Titans Fire GM Ran Carthon
Brent Rooker2 days ago

Signs Five-Year Extension
Jacob Markstrom2 days ago

Snaps Losing Skid On Monday
Nolan Arenado2 days ago

Red Sox Emerge As Strong Candidate To Land Nolan Arenado
Christian Watson2 days ago

Packers Confirm Torn ACL For Christian Watson
Ezekiel Elliott2 days ago

Signing With Chargers
Michael Lorenzen2 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Kansas City
Gavin Lux2 days ago

Traded To Cincinnati
Kyler Murray2 days ago

"100 Percent" Chance That Kyler Murray Will Start For Cardinals In 2025
Brock Purdy2 days ago

Wants Contract Done Sooner Than Later
Christian McCaffrey2 days ago

"Definitely Close" To Being Fully Recovered
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Commanders "Not Concerned" With Jayden Daniels' Leg Soreness
Amari Cooper2 days ago

Bills Hopeful Amari Cooper Will Be Available In Wild-Card Round
Chicago Bears2 days ago

Bears Seek Permission To Interview Mike McCarthy For Head-Coaching Job
Luis Arraez2 days ago

Yankees Talking With Padres About Luis Arraez
Clayton Kershaw4 days ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Charlie Morton5 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football WR Injury Reports: Wild Card Weekend Updates For Zay Flowers, Christian Watson, John Metchie III, Joshua Palmer

The (regular) fantasy football season is over but the DFS season rolls along. A few high-profile receivers may not make your lineups due to injury. To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page. Also, download the free RotoBaller fantasy […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Playoffs Rankings: Fantasy Football Draft Rankings and FFPC Playoff Challenge (2025)

Welcome, RotoBallers, to the 2025 NFL Playoffs and our continuing coverage of fantasy football playoff leagues. Fantasy football is still going strong during the NFL playoffs – including new drafts and contests forming before the Wild Card Weekend games. The NFL postseason starts with one of the most challenging and unique fantasy football playoff leagues […]


David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Will David Montgomery Play In The Postseason? Injury Update For Lions RB

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) suffered an MCL injury in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills. While it was initially reported that he would be placed on injured reserve and his season would be over, we haven't seen that yet. "Monty" has now played in 14 games this season, rushing 185 times for […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Tight Ends You Must Have in 2024

12 Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of 2024

Unfortunately, the 2024 fantasy football season is over. Hopefully, fantasy players came away with the championship trophy. While the fantasy season just wrapped up, it’s never too early to prepare for next year. The first thing fantasy players should do is look back at the 2024 season and see where they went wrong. Therefore, let’s […]


Mike Evans - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Playoff League Rankings for Fantasy Football: Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Mike Evans, Kyren Williams, Joe Mixon, Puka Nacua, Terry McLaurin

While the traditional fantasy football season is over, the start of the NFL playoffs brings various types of fantasy football contests geared toward the playoffs. Fantasy football is not over yet, so let's get to the action! Below are our 2025 fantasy football playoff league rankings to help you make the best decisions for your playoff […]


Nico Collins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Wild Card Weekend Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Wild Card Weekend! If you are new here, this matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em article will look at the best and worst matchups of the week.  Whether you are looking for some DFS plays this weekend or are playing in a fantasy […]


Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

All-Waiver Wire Fantasy Football Team - 2024 Undrafted Players Who Exceeded Expectations

The casual fantasy football managers draft a team and ride it out, hoping their selections push them into the playoffs. The savvy fantasy managers utilized the waiver wire to make a good team great. Every year, undrafted players go on to be fantasy football darlings. This season was no exception. Below is the All-Waiver Wire […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2024 Fantasy Football Awards - RotoBaller Writers Picks

Greetings and welcome to the official 2024 Fantasy Football Awards Show, presented by RotoBaller. These awards are voted on by RotoBaller's NFL writers, with some goofy ones thrown in alongside the expected. We are here to celebrate the good, the bad, and the downright frustrating. Once again, I'm your host, Nick Mariano. We won't have […]


J.K. Dobbins - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Wild Card Weekend Updates for J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards, Blake Corum

Below is our fantasy football injuries report for running backs on Wild Card Weekend, as of January 8. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Wild Card Weekend, including J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards, and Blake Corum. As the NFL playoffs get underway and fantasy football continues, […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Wide Receiver (WR) Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Wild Card Weekend (2024)

The second season starts today. Whether you're into DFS or postseason tournaments, we have you covered. The NFL playoffs can be tricky to predict, as defenses tend to tighten up, leaving fantasy production few and far between. Heading into Wild Card Weekend, fantasy managers have 12 teams' worth of players to choose from. Depending on […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Who Are the Top 5 Picks for 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts?

The 2024 NFL regular season is finally over, and it's now time to look back on what happened and try to ascertain how that will affect rankings next year. Of course, there's plenty of time until the 2025 regular season kicks off, as we haven't even made it through the playoffs yet. Still, it's extremely […]


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Running Back (RB) Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Wild Card Weekend (2024)

If you thought your fantasy football season was over, think again. We are talking playoffs, which means fantasy managers looking for the edge in the playoff contests have come to the right place. The running back position is particularly challenging this week as the teams that punched their tickets to the dance have done a […]


Josh Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Five Fantasy Football Strategies To Help You Win NFL Playoff Leagues

If you won a fantasy football title in the regular season and are looking for more hardware -- or if you want redemption after a bad year -- the fantasy football season isn't over just yet! You can add to the excitement of the NFL playoffs by assembling a brand new fantasy football team(s) of […]