The Specialists: Trade Deadline Week Bonanza
The extended NBA All-Star vacation is designed to give the players some much-needed additional time off, but front offices around the league will be as busy as ever with Thursday’s fast approaching trade deadline. Although games won’t resume until later this week, we’ll have plenty of entertainment and more action than a butter factory as the rumor mill continues to churn.
Think of this week like you’re panning for gold: There are going to be lots of stories circulating about the fallout from different potential scenarios, but in reality, many are searching for the same nugget and reliant on the same sources to find it. This is your opportunity to stash, dash and hopefully smash your competition out of the water.
Dennis Schroder on the wire? Take a flier in case Jeff Teague is dealt. Is a frustrated GM getting tired of waiting for potential to turn into production? Here is your window to win a deal. With just about a month before the fantasy postseason begins, it’s now or never to leave a mark and make a move.
Terrence Ross, G/F Toronto Raptors: 3-pointers
The updates on DeMarre Carroll’s recovery from knee surgery have been few and far between, and that can’t be considered a good sign given the Raptors are playing the long game in an effort to have their $60 million man available for the NBA playoffs. While I don’t believe any trade Toronto GM Masai Ujiri could potentially execute would be landscape-shifting, the incentive to deal certainly exists given Carroll’s health, where the Raptors stand in the Eastern Conference and the looming threat of the better than expected Boston Celtics making a real push into the middle at the NBA’s trade table.
Ross has been better than expected in reality—he’s averaging 13.8 points and 2.0 triples over his last five games while being an integral part of the Raptors’ most successful lineup—but any trade to bring in a player like P.J. Tucker would further cap the former Slam Dunk Champion’s fantasy ceiling. His long-term outlook isn’t appealing, and his short-term lacks the kind of upside you want to roster unless you’re absolutely fishing for triples.
Evan Fournier, G/F Orlando Magic: 3-pointers, Steals
I do believe that Tobias Harris was re-signed last summer in order for the Magic to have another tradeable asset moving forward, and it wouldn’t surprise me if T12 were moved sooner rather than later. If that were to happen this week, Fournier would again find himself in the starting lineup—a place where he’s thrived all season.
In 44 games with the first five, Fournier is averaging 14.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.0 triples with just 1.6 turnovers. More specifically, Fournier is really enjoying his time as a starting forward, averaging 19.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 triples (2.0 TO) on 47.5% shooting in 16 games at that spot. A Harris trade would provide Fournier a clear path to minutes, and he wouldn’t have to be competing with either Victor Oladipo or Elfrid Payton for playing time.
Zach Randolph, F/C Memphis Grizzlies: Points, Field Goal Percentage
Marc Gasol’s broken foot has changed everything for the Grizzlies, and Memphis is going to rely on Zach Randolph more in the second half than any of John Hollinger’s projections could have imagined in the first. Z-Bo is going to be the new starting center (by default) for a team that simply doesn’t have real depth behind him, and although Randolph’s game isn’t going to suddenly become fantasy-friendly, he’s going to have far more opportunity—and be way more involved—than he’s enjoyed at any point prior this season.
Over his last five games, Randolph is averaging 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals on 54.5% from the field. The Grizzlies absolutely need their OG big man to thrive in the face of adversity, so touches aren’t going to be a problem. Despite a game on the decline and an inability to contribute across the stat sheet, a counted out Z-Bo can still be productive in this role.
D’Angelo Russell, PG Los Angeles Lakers: 3-pointers, Steals
I’m really getting tired of hearing about how bad D’Angelo Russell is. Learning the hardest position to master in the NBA at 19 years old is one thing, but doing so as a bad Lakers team sends Kobe Bryant off on his retirement tour is entirely another. Some are going to read that first part like built-in excuse making for a rookie born in 1996, but it’s the reality in which Russell is operating within and an important part of the perception when evaluating D-Lo’s present and future.
Expected to return to the starting lineup once the All-Star Break concludes, Russell has started to find himself in February, averaging 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 triples (2.0 TO) on 43.3% shooting. He’s not Karl-Anthony Towns—not even Anthony Davis was this promising in his inaugural season—but The Big KAT was on a planet by himself prior to the draft, and his candidacy as the No. 1 overall pick stood entirely alone. Russell has a game that can translate well to fantasy, and now he’s going to get the chance to play through his mistakes, build confidence and find the same momentum that he used to shoot up draft boards prior to wearing the purple and gold.
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