Fantasy Impact of NBA Deadline Deals

Winners

Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox were acquired by the Knicks in separate trades. The Knicks have been fantasy gold, so joining their rotation should improve their numbers.

Hughes hasn’t played in a month so it could take a little time to get the rust off. Getting out of Chicago’s crowded backcourt and into the up-tempo offense should bode well for his numbers.

Wilcox gives the Knicks another big man. He should be a good fit in this offense because he’s athletic. He’s averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Thunder, and as long as he can earn a spot in the rotation, he should be able to improve on those numbers. 

Rashad McCants gets to escape Kevin McHale’s doghouse as he was traded from Minnesota to Sacramento. The Kings are a terrible team, but they could use his scoring ability if they can overlook his inability to play defense.

In return for McCants, the Wolves get fellow bust Shelden Williams. He has some size, so he may be able to work his way into the rotation as the Wolves adjust to life without Al Jefferson. Neither McCants nor Williams are worth picking up at this point, but keep an eye on them in case they show signs of life. 

Aaron Brooks will move into the starting point guard role for the Rockets. He’s been solid when Rafer Alston has been out.

Even

Rafer Alston is headed from Houston to Orlando. He was putting up decent numbers with Houston, and I don’t see much of a change in Orlando as Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu are the primary scoring options. 

Malik Rose didn’t do much for the Knicks and he won’t do much for the Thunder. At this point in his career, he’s just a contract. The same goes for Jerome James who went to Chicago from New York. He’s out for the year with a Achilles’ tendon injury. 

Anthony Roberson won’t get an opportunity in Chicago behind their glut of guards, not that he got one in New York. 

Brian Cook went from Orlando to Memphis. He didn’t do much with the Magic, and that likely won’t change.

Kyle Lowry went from Memphis to Houston.  He’s still a backup PG so I don’t see a value change there.

Losers

Tim Thomas is moving from the Knicks to the Bulls. There just won’t be enough minutes or touches in Chicago. 

Nate Robinson, Quentin Richardson, and Wilson Chandler will likely see a small dip in their time as Larry Hughes settles into the rotation. Al Harrington and David Lee could lose a little of their production to Wilcox. 

Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson were seeing an increase in minutes since Jameer Nelson went down. With Alston’s arrival, that is going to change.