Waiver Wired: Wired: 30 NBA teams – Targets
Games Played Week 17
3 Games: CHI, SAS, UTA, WAS
2 Games: ATL, BOS, BRK, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, NY, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, TOR
1 Game: HOU, SAC
With All-Star Weekend shutting down our beloved Fantasy NBA for the week, let’s take a team-by-team look around the league at top targets and pickups. Of course, Thursday’s trade deadline could shake a lot of things up, so I also try to take it into consideration. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here. And congratulations to both winner Zach LaVine and runner-up Aaron Gordon for a great Dunk Contest! I thought Gordon had the two best dunks of the night, on an evening filled with great dunks. That was fun!
Atlanta – Several trade rumors are swirling around the Hawks, making point guard Dennis Schroder a guy to hold until we see what happens. I still think there’s a pretty good chance that the Hawks will bring back a starting guard if they move Jeff Teague, but if they don’t Schroder could be a fantasy game changer.
Boston – Jared Sullinger is starting and averaging 14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks over his last five games. I, for one, think he’s going to finish strong for the Celtics. Marcus Smart is also trending up, and might be a savvy pickup right now. The Celtics are also mentioned in several trade rumors, which could also work well for those players if they stay in Boston.
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Brooklyn – The Nets have won just 14 games and aren’t going to sniff the playoffs. There’s no reason for them to keep the handcuffs on Bojan Bogdanovic and he’s a guy who should hit a ton of 3-pointers the rest of the way.
Charlotte – Al Jefferson should come back soon, but he’s old and always banged up, so he’s not my favorite player to hold. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out for the season, Jeremy Lin is the player I like acquiring from the Hornets, with a dash of Jeremy Lamb thrown in.
Chicago – E’Twaun Moore is averaging 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.2 3-pointers over his last five games. We don’t know when Jimmy Butler’s bum knee will let him play again, and Moore is the player to own until it happens.
Cleveland – The Cavs should be able to pull further ahead of Toronto than three games and could start resting players down the stretch. Matthew Dellavedova, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson could all become relevant during the fantasy playoffs, but the reality is that there isn’t a true low-value player to target in Cleveland right now. But if one emerges, my guess is it’s one of the three aforementioned players.
Dallas – Deron Williams is fragile and could go down at any time and if it happens, J.J. Barea is a guy you’ll want to have waiting in the wings. But like the Cleveland scenario, I wouldn’t drop a good player in order to stash Barea right now. And if the Mavs happen to fall out of the playoff race and Dirk Nowitzki is ever shut down, Dwight Powell could quickly become a factor.
Denver – Will Barton is struggling a bit lately, but I think he’ll bounce back and could finish strong, especially if Danilo Gallinari ever suffers an injury. And his price tag should be pretty low right now. Emmanuel Mudiay is playing better lately and the Nuggets have no reason not to hand him the keys the rest of the way.
Detroit – Stanley Johnson is playing well, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should be back just after the break. I still think Johnson is a nice player to target and shouldn’t have an exorbitant price tag, especially if you target him after KCP reclaims his starting job. Brandon Jennings could benefit from a trade. He’s been linked to Brooklyn, but obviously, nothing is imminent.
Golden State – Harrison Barnes could play a lot when the Warriors start resting their big three, while Marreese Speights is a big man who could get some run with Festus Ezeli out for most of the rest of the season. And if the Dubs give Draymond Green some rest down the stretch, it will also help Speights.
Houston – Terrence Jones and Ty Lawson are the obvious stashes with the trade deadline coming, while Clint Capela could end up becoming the starting center in Houston if Dwight Howard gets moved. All three players are worth a short-term hold until we see what goes down on Thursday.
Indiana – The Pacers could be targeting Jeff Teague, but I doubt they’d keep George Hill if a deal were to happen. C.J. Miles might get a boost if the Pacers make a trade and Ian Mahinmi is starting at center again, and is available on waivers in many leagues.
LA Clippers – Wes Johnson is averaging 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 2.2 blocks and 1.6 3-pointers. Those are some intriguing stats in the ‘fantasy gold’ categories of steals, blocks and threes, and Blake Griffin isn’t coming back any time soon.
LA Lakers – Lou Williams’ name keeps coming up in trade rumors and a move would help both Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell quite a bit. Additionally, Julius Randle is playing well in the absence of Larry Nance, and shouldn’t break the bank if you try to acquire him. And with Roy Hibbert looking like a cast member of Walking Dead, Tarik Black could be set free in the second half.
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