Fantasy Basketball Watch: NBA Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

February 23, 2023

Lance Roberson breaks down which players gained or lost fantasy value due to trades that were made over the last two weeks in the NBA.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline was for the ages. After 11 trades, the NBA landscape shifted like the ice age. Contenders became afterthoughts; losers received a shot of hope; overall, the league experienced a seismic shift in power. On the fantasy basketball side, though, there weren't as many losers.

Since the play-in tournament's inception, typically tanking teams opt to provide their fanbase with a sense of importance by competing for the aforementioned competition. In addition to otherwise lottery teams finding solace in getting eliminated in a single-game scenario, fantasy managers find more points on the board.

Without losing players to questionable "injuries" and load management paradise, the play-in tournament provides fantasy players with more time to utilize the stars of their roster.  RotoBaller chose winners and losers regarding the fantasy leagues of the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline. As noted earlier, few teams opted to sell their stars, so the loser list is quite light.

NBA Fantasy Watch List: Trade Deadline Winners

Zach LaVine

Labeling anything regarding the 2022-2023 Chicago Bulls as a "winner" seems like an oxymoron. For a team two games out of the play-in-tournament eligibility, the Bulls front office refused to trade All-Star players, mainly Zach LaVine. In addition to a 43-point performance under his belt this season, LaVine's shooting efficiency (converting above league average in true shooting) also provided reason to believe a playoff contender would trade for the two-time All-Star.

However, Chicago kept LaVine for an uninspirational run to a play-in spot. For the fantasy basketball managers with LaVine on their roster, though, Chicago's race to mediocrity bodes well for their playoff chances. As the Bulls trail the Toronto Raptors and their 2023 draft pick is top-4 protected by the Orlando Magic, they have no choice but to push for a playoff berth. Even if Chicago misses play-in eligibility,  LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan make for a close race.

Kyrie Irving

Historically, fantasy basketball managers who dare draft Kyrie Irving find themselves trapped. While the 2016 NBA champion's talent commands attention, as proudly uttered by the Washington Post's Ben Golliver, "availability is the greatest ability." The last time Irving played at least 65 games was the 2018-2019 season - the one campaign with the Boston Celtics. However, Irving must play ball in a contract year with the Dallas Mavericks to obtain the coveted maximum-level contract.

Statistically, Irving hit the ground running with the Mavericks, scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. Production and the unselfish play stood out in his four games with Dallas, as the eight-time All-Star averaged 28 points, seven assists, and converted on 42 percent of his three-point shots. While the Western Conference playoff race allows no room for error, indicative of the two-loss separation from the four to the eight-seed, expect Irving to play a significant number of games down the stretch.

Mikal Bridges

In a roster blowup that would send most teams to the depths of the league's bottom dwellers, the Brooklyn Nets find themselves in similar territory to the 2010-2011 Denver Nuggets, ala the Carmelo Anthony trade.  Without owning its pick for this summer, Brooklyn must squeeze out every ounce of juice from its band of role players. Regardless of the massive holes the superstars leave, there's still no sleep in Brooklyn as the Nets desperately look to secure a playoff spot.

With that said, the former Phoenix Suns three-and-d wing showcased star power with a career-high 45-point performance vs. the fourth-best defensive rating Miami Heat. Whether that game was a mere lighting in the bottle of a season full of scoring surges or a nugget of more to come, Bridges has the ultra-green light, as the Nets don't have many scoring options for the duration of the season.

Kevin Love

Unable to find a trade partner for Kevin Love, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the UCLA alum agreed to a buyout in the aftermath of the trade deadline. One season removed from the Sixth Man of the Year candidacy, the Cavaliers escalated trajectory in light of Donovan Mitchell's arrival made for a vastly different outlook for the 2016 NBA champion. Love saw his usage rate drop a career-low 19.6 percent.

Desperate for a legitimate frontcourt option, the Miami Heat acquired Love, hoping for a proper running mate with All-Star Bam Adebayo. In a season where the supposed three-point shooters of the Heat look like flameouts, Love provides a vital stretch-big piece. Aside from a dependable shooter's touch, Love's rebounding will command playing time in Miami. Posting a 20.2 rebound percentage, his highest mark since the 2018-2019 season, expect Love's numbers to improve for fantasy managers down the stretch.

NBA Fantasy Watch List: Trade Deadline Losers

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is not a piece to winning basketball at this point in his career. The high usage, relentless motor on offense, and delusional confidence of Westbrook enabled Oklahoma City Thunder's relevancy after Kevin Durant left for the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Now, all of those things that once made him MVP, are the markings of his undoing in the latter years of his illustrious career.

After 1.5 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, filled with contempt, bad chemistry, and overall lousy play, the Los Angeles Clippers seemed to have ignored their Crypto.com Arena roommates. Westbrook wins the situation, as he stays in his hometown, but anyone with the desperation to manage Westbrook on their sad fantasy roster definitely loses. While the Clippers are a better team than the Lakers, leaving them more room for error, Westbrook's habitual stepping on toes wherever he goes makes for a bad ending in an otherwise good setting.

Aside from Westbrook's horrid defense, his scoring efficiency is at its worst. Points per shot attempt accurately tell the fall-from-grace tale. Ranking 13th percentile, below players such as Goran Dragic, Victor Oladipo, and Tre Mann, Westbrook scores a mere 98.7 points per 100 shot attempts (including free throws). The main point is the Clippers don't need him, unlike the Lakers. Furthermore, if Westbrook struggles, the Clippers can afford to sit him for the duration of the season.

Zion Williamson

Despite his dominant offense, Zion Williamson's unavailability is the Achilles heel to an otherwise promising career. Missing the whole 2021-2022 season due to a foot injury and playing only 24 games during his rookie campaign, it's time to worry about the young-and-explosive star. Reported to miss multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury, Williamson's critics have a right to look at such a report with a slanted eye.

In years past, the Pelicans' front office blatantly lied to the media about Williamson's injuries. Who's to say the hamstring issue keeps Williamson sidelined longer? Hamstring injuries don't go away without a whimper, it's more of a lingering issue. Ask Chris Paul. If you have Williamson on your roster, and he doesn't play for the duration of your fantasy season, don't be shocked.

Mason Plumlee and Eric Gordon

Plumlee was having a career year in Charlotte before being dealt to the Clippers, where he now is in a timeshare with Ivica Zubac. While he's still useable in the deepest of formats, he's easily droppable in standard leagues now, so hopefully, you sold high or already moved on. Gordon had emerged with some decent value right before the deadline in Houston, as the Rockets were without several starters and he was playing 30+ minutes a night.

But now he shifts back to the bench for the Clippers and will be battling Norman Powell for minutes and shots with the second unit. With his one-dimensional skill set, he's easily droppable and could maybe be used as a streamer occasionally if PG13 or Leonard rest at all down the stretch.

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