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Fantasy Basketball 2023: Top Pickups After NBA Trade Deadline
February 9, 2023Fantasy Basketball 2023: Top Pickups After NBA Trade Deadline
The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have spent the last few days bolstering their depth to compete in the loaded Western Conference.
The Lakers' acquisitions of D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley should help them elevate from 13th place and into the play-in spots in the West.
Beasley and Vanderbilt produced decent seasons with the Utah Jazz, and they should be relied on more as depth within the L.A. rotation.
The pair of former Utah Jazz players should be near the top of the list for fantasy basketball waiver-wire pickups in the next week.
Beasley will be given the license to shoot plenty of threes, while Vanderbilt should contribute on the boards right away in a spot either next to Anthony Davis or in place of him at parts of games.
The Clippers attempted to preserve their spot in the top six of the West, as they made deals for Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee. All three could be looked at on the fantasy waiver wire because of the roles they should play on the second unit alongside Norman Powell.
Jae Crowder's move to the Milwaukee Bucks should be the most impactful acquisition outside of the two Los Angeles teams on the fantasy basketball market.
The 32-year-old will slot into the Bucks' rotation right away, and once he finds his form on the court again, he could be one of the top three-point contributors.
Other trades, and moves that did not happen, will shape the fantasy basketball landscape for the rest of the season, but those mentioned above will likely have the greatest impacts.
Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt
Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt are both rostered in under 60 percent of Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues, per FantasyPros.
The former Utah Jazz pair should be gobbled up off the waiver wire in the coming days because of the roles they are expected to play with the Lakers.
Beasley gives L.A. a three-point shooter off the bench or in the starting lineup in some cases alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The 26-year-old shot 35.9 percent from three-point range with the Jazz this season. He averaged 13.4 points per game, which was up one point from his average in the last campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
None of the Lakers' star names are shooting above 35 percent from three-point range. James is at 31.5 percent, Davis sits at 28.3 and Russell Westbrook shot 29.6 percent from deep before he was shipped off in the three-team deal with Minnesota and Utah.
Vanderbilt should play along with Beasley on the second unit to start. The Lakers could switch around him with Rui Hachimura depending on how the lineup configurations work out in the coming weeks.
Vanderbilt averaged a career high of 8.2 points per game in Utah, and he was a half-rebound per game off his career best in that category.
The 23-year-old will be relied upon to rebound first when the reserves are on the floor to alleviate the pressure Davis faces.
Vanderbilt will play next to Mo Bamba, who makes up a new backup frontcourt to replace the departed Thomas Bryant.
The former Utah player could share rebounds with Bamba, but that concern could go away when you see his production next to a true center such as Walker Kessler.
Both Beasley and Vanderbilt should be solid depth options for fantasy squads, and it will be worth picking them up now because of how much their value could skyrocket once their roles in the Lakers rotation are defined.
Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee
The Clippers responded to the moves made throughout the Western Conference by improving their depth.
Bones Hyland and Eric Gordon will be trusted to knock down plenty of shots from three-point range off the bench to support Norman Powell, who has been fantastic over the last few weeks.
The 29-year-old has eclipsed the 20-point mark in four of his last five games, but that was as the top scoring option on an average bench unit.
The additions of Hyland and Gordon may cut into Powell's recent production levels a bit, but that is a good thing for a Clippers team in need of some scoring variety.
Gordon and Hyland are both rostered in less than 40 percent of Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues, so they can be added off the waiver wire without many issues.
Gordon, 34, comes into Los Angeles off three 20-point performances in his last five games for the Houston Rockets. He could be asked to split some ball-handling duties with Hyland and Powell while Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are off the court. Gordon averaged 5.3 assists per game to start February.
Hyland is not a typical point guard because he prefers to shoot more than pass. He was consistently in double figures when he came off the bench for the Denver Nuggets.
The 22-year-old should be added in fantasy leagues for his shooting abilities and not his potential passing. He averaged 2.8 assists per game in his two-year professional career.
Plumlee is already rostered in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues because of his previous starting role with the Charlotte Hornets.
The 32-year-old center should be added in leagues where he is available because of his potential to take over the starting role from Ivica Zubac.
Plumlee averaged 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game with the Hornets, while the Croatian's totals sit at 10.3 points and boards per contest.
Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder could be the most impactful NBA trade-deadline acquisition not named Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving.
The 32-year-old landed with the Milwaukee Bucks after a brief moment with the Brooklyn Nets from the Durant trade.
Milwaukee should thrive with Crowder on the wing, and he will likely earn time in the starting lineup once he gains consistent minutes.
The Marquette product will not make an impact in his first week or two with the Bucks because he hasn't played all season. He needs time to get back to game speed and acclimated to the Milwaukee offensive system at the same time.
That should not stop fantasy basketball players from picking him up immediately, though. His roster percentage will only go up in the coming weeks as his role is defined.
Crowder has shot over 39 percent from the field and above 34 percent from three-point range in each of his last three seasons, two with Phoenix and one with the Miami Heat.
He will be an important part of the Bucks' rotation, and it's not worth waiting a week or two and risk him potentially being off the waiver wire in any of your leagues.
Jalen McDaniels
Jalen McDaniels' move from the Hornets to the Philadelphia 76ers flew under the radar on Thursday, but it could be an important move for the Eastern Conference contender.
Philadelphia needed help on its second unit, and McDaniels is a strong rebounder who can also put up some decent point totals while Joel Embiid is off the floor.
The 25-year-old averaged career highs of 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game during his time in Charlotte this season.
He improved his points average by 4.5 and his rebounding average by 1.8. He should continue to put up decent totals with his new team.
Philadelphia lacks bench scoring outside of Tyrese Maxey. McDaniels could be used as a paint option over Montrezl Harrell, or he could sneak out to the three-point line. He is averaging over one three-point make per game for the first time in his career.
The San Diego State product is available in over two-thirds of Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues. He could be a decent backup option to any starting forwards because of his expected role with the 76ers as an important scorer and rebounder.