Fantasy Impact of Tyson Chandler Trade

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The good thing about adding Tyson Chandler to the mix on the Oklahoma City Thunder is that you know he isn’t going to try and take touches from emerging Superstar Kevin Durant or his sidekick Jeff Green. When he’s healthy, it’s possible their matching 6.6 rebounds per game could take a slight hit.  I wouldn’t lose sleep over it though. 

They, along with Russell Westbrook, will still be solid fantasy contributors. I don’t see much of a change out of Chandler’s production. He’s going to grab his share of rebounds and will score a few buckets a game. Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith combine to play 38.6 minutes per game. Clearly Chandler won’t log that kind of playing time so big men Nick Collison and Nenad Krstic stand to see a bump in their playing time.
 
The Hornets will look to replace Chandler’s 31.1 minutes per game with their two new additions. Since they played more with Oklahoma City, one could reason that their production will decrease in their new setting. There is a catch though. They will be playing alongside the best point guard in the league in Chris Paul. He likes to get everyone involved so perhaps they don’t lose much of their production. Wilcox and Smith are more offensive-minded than Chandler, so David West could find himself getting a little fewer shot opportunities.
 
The move puzzles me a little because the Hornets are clearly better with Chandler.  ESPN pointed out that they are 21-11 with Chandler and 9-9 without him. He was their inside presence, and now they are lacking. Not exactly the position you want to be in when facing Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Millsap, and Amar'e Stoudemire and Shaq.