RADIO
Well, that was a trade deadline! I'm not sure I can remember a time when more deals happened, and while the big news of the day is probably a trade that didn't happen -- Anthony Davis remains a Pelican -- there's still a lot to discuss.
Let's look at the players whose fantasy stocks are on the rise and those whose stock is falling after the deadline. For the purposes of this piece, I'll be looking at all the deals between Tuesday's Reggie Bullock deal and the Markelle Fultz trade that ended things.
Looking for some in-depth breakdowns of each deal? Check out our news page!
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Trade Deadline Risers
Anthony Davis - PF - New Orleans Pelicans
The biggest winner for fantasy players might just be the guy who wasn't dealt. Davis has reportedly said that he intends to return to the floor and play for the Pelicans this season, so those of you who were terrified that you'd be without your top draft pick for the rest of the season might not have to worry as much about that, unless the Pelicans choose to shut him down. I don't think they will; there are too many negative unintended consequences of that, from engendering mistrust with every potential future Pelican to getting sued by the Player's Union.
Nikola Mirotic - PF - Milwaukee Bucks
The Pelicans got Stanley Johnson and four second-round picks for Mirotic, who gets to head to a pretty good situation in Milwaukee where he'll be relied on as a catch-and-shoot threat off the Bucks' bench. I like the new location for Mirotic, who can have a lot less pressure on him and can focus on stretching the floor for Milwaukee. My biggest worry is that Mirotic essentially is just Brook Lopez 2.0 for the Bucks, who already have Brook Lopez 1.0 and will have to figure out a way to incorporate both guys into the rotation. Still, Mirotic in a pure shooting role should be a good piece for fantasy owners. Most importantly, he might actually be out on the floor playing basketball for Milwaukee.
James Ennis - SF - Philadelphia 76ers
The Rockets salary dumped Ennis on the Sixers for a pick swap, but Ennis should carve out a pretty solid role in Philadelphia. Wing depth is an issue, and with Landry Shamet and Mike Muscala traded and Corey Brewer no longer on the team, there's going to be minutes to go around at multiple positions for Ennis. Philadelphia needs a guy who can shoot in the upper 30s in three-point percentage, and Ennis should be one of the first guys off the bench to help the team's new big four.
Iman Shumpert - SG - Houston Rockets
I lowkey love this for Houston. Shumpert had some really good moments early in the year for the Kings and then kind of fell off statistically, but he'll get more shots off the bench for the Rockets than he was getting as a starter for Sacramento. I'd have to imagine he jumps past Gerald Green in Houston's rotation, and seeing the December version of Shumpert wouldn't be a shock. I'd stick him on my watch list right now.
Otto Porter Jr. - SF - Chicago Bulls
I don't know how smart of a deal this was for the Bulls, but Porter gives them a solid player to add to an interesting core. He should see more usage in Chicago than he was in Washington, and I'd guess that Porter's numbers start to look a little more like they did last season, when he averaged 14.7 points per game and shot 44 percent from deep. Maybe Porter's slump wasn't Wizards related, but I'd bet on him rebounding for the Bulls.
Trade Deadline Fallers
Marc Gasol - C - Toronto Raptors
I don't think the Raptors will be using Gasol as much as he's been used in Memphis. The Raptors already have a pair of good starting bigs in Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam, so I'm not sure what Gasol's role will be, but I'd imagine he sees fewer minutes and thus a reduction in his counting stats. Maybe Gasol's numbers look closer to what we've seen from Jonas Valanciunas off the bench, or maybe if he starts he'll be something close to Ibaka, but...I don't know, y'all. I just don't see Gasol having a huge fantasy impact.
Ivica Zubac - C - Los Angeles Clippers
Good news? Zubac stays in Staples Center. Bad news? He's now taking over at center for Marcin Gortat, and the Clippers haven't shown much willingness to do much with Gortat this year. Zubac had a five-game stretch where he averaged 19 points and 9.4 boards earlier in the year, but I don't see him having the opportunity to do anything like that for the Clippers. Factor in the Clippers also looking for minutes for the newly-acquired JaMychal Green, and Zubac feels more like a guy acquired for the future and not for the current roster.
Tobias Harris - SF - Philadelphia 76ers
I love Harris in Philadelphia, but I have plenty of concerns in fantasy as he moves from being the first option in Los Angeles to the third or fourth option in Philadelphia. I imagine he'll be more efficient in his newer role, but raw scoring numbers are likely to look more like last season's 18 than this year's 20, and I can see Harris grabbing a couple fewer rebounds per game with Joel Embiid manning the middle for Philadelphia. Great NBA basketball move; less good as a fantasy basketball move.
Jeff Green (???) - SF - Washington
The question marks represent the fact that I have zero clue what to expect with the Wizards, but they traded Otto Porter Jr. for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker. To work those two guy into the rotation means that someone probably plays fewer minutes, and that could be Green? I don't want to suggest that you make any kind of move with Green at this point, because we don't know what the Wizards necessarily plan to do, but I'd be closely monitoring this situation.
