NBA Trade Deadline LIVE Blog
Things just got real in what might be the best NBA Trade Deadline ever and we’re going to live blog this thing right here. Keep refreshing for the most recent info.
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ARRON AFFLALO TO PORTLAND
The Blazers were in the lead in the Arron Afflalo sweepstakes and despite a late push by another undisclosed team last night they got their man for a first-round pick, a second-round pick, Will Barton, Victor Claver and Thomas Robinson. Afflalo’s fantasy value takes a big hit and he’s droppable, while in Denver the remaining group of Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Gary Harris all get a bump. Chandler is must-own and Gallo is still just a stash.
JAVALE MCGEE TO THE SIXERS
This is great and hilarious and the only question is whether or not he actually steps foot on the floor for the Sixers. A pre-injury McGee would have cleaned up in a situation like this, but for now owners need to wait on a report indicating he’ll actually get some playing time. He needs about 20 mpg at a minimum to make some noise and there’s going to be plenty of risk here any way you slice it.
SESSIONS FOR MILLER
As mentioned this morning, something didn’t click in Sacramento for Ramon Sessions and his decline was pretty amazing in how quick and bad it was. I’d guess he’ll play much better in different surroundings and there is some deep league appeal if all goes well. Owners in very deep leagues might want to take a flier here. Andre Miller will probably have a shot at some extra playing time in Sacramento where his services are quite needed, but not enough to make anybody run to the wire here.
KG IS HEADING HOME
Kevin Garnett is heading home in a deal for Thaddeus Young, and as mentioned yesterday this should be a relatively neutral transaction for Young, who has been playing a bit over his head lately. On the Minnesota side of things I was never worried about Gorgui Dieng's value but this can only help, as Young plays more minutes than KG will. Shabazz Muhammad is worth a look but he needs significant volume to get over some fantasy deficiencies.
REGGIE JACKSON TO DETROIT
Talk about a stunner. The Pistons have been hunting point guards for the better part of a year and now they got one in Jackson, who should step in and start fairly soon ahead of D.J. Augustin. Jackson is a must-own player and Augustin unfortunately is not, though DJA might retain enough value early on for owners that might want to see what they can milk out of the situation. For a guy like Jodie Meeks anything to jump-start his game is welcomed at this point, but in a vacuum this doesn't help his touches and output unless Jackson decides it's better to penetrate and pass than get his own, particularly now that he's probably got his future all set.
In Oklahoma City Dion Waiters' outlook gets a bit brighter, but not enough to justify grabbing him in 12-team standard leagues.
**UPDATE (3:42 p.m. ET): Augustin was sent to the Thunder and this kills his fantasy value, while opening things up a bit for Meeks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who should be viewed neutrally in light of these new developments. Again, Jackson's ability to penetrate could end up being a net positive for both shooting guards, and the departure of Kyle Singler doesn't hurt either. Waiters' outlook gets a bit dimmer but only incrementally in those deep standard leagues where he matters.
DRAGIC TO MIAMI EXTRAVAGANZA
The Suns don't mess around when it comes to blowups and there will be more on that later, but Goran Dragic was dealt to the Miami Heat for a package of four players (including his brother) and two first round draft picks. This throws a real monkey wrench into Mario Chalmers' stash value, and probably makes him worth a drop if you're looking at any low-level free agent with anything going for him. Dragic should fit in just fine with a lineup that isn't exactly teeming with talent or durability. Consider Dragic a winner and likely to boost his value by a round or two. Everybody else in Miami should be mostly fine, as their touches aren't threatened and Dragic can help them get easier looks.
BIG TURKEY DAY DINNER IN OKC
Enes Kanter was a last-second replacement for Brook Lopez in the Thunder's quest to upgrade their center position, and as the details get fleshed out we can say with relative certainty that this will knock Kanter off the standard league radar. He simply can't get enough touches to keep his offensive output high enough to offset his defensive deficiencies in standard leagues. Of course, I've been begging you guys to hold and/or acquire Rudy Gobert all year and this is your payoff. Try not to giggle all day if you own him, because a hearty belly laugh in your opponents' ears is much, much better. Derrick Favors also gets a small boost here, particularly in the rebounding department.
THE SUN SHINES AT KNIGHT IN PHOENIX APPARENTLY
Things started to get extremely nuts right about the time Brandon Knight got traded to the Suns and Isaiah Thomas got traded to the Sixers and ultimately the Celtics when it was all said and done. Knight is going to see a slight dip in usage but the system plays to his strengths well, and whether he starts or comes off the bench to balance out the backup PG minutes, he's going to play upward of 30 mpg and probably only see a round or two of value cut off.
ISAIAH PART ONE
Isaiah Thomas was all over the Twitter feeds but we'll get to him in a second. Isaiah Canaan was traded to the Sixers and just walked into potential starter's minutes now that Michael Carter-Williams is headed to the Bucks. He averaged 12.6 points, 2.7 boards, 2.3 assists and 2.7 treys in nine starts next to high usage James Harden, and there is way too much upside for owners to pass him up at this specific moment.
K.J. McDaniels was on the other end of the deal and he heads to Houston, which is a death knell for his fantasy value. He will be a free agent next season and it's possible the Sixers thought he was going to bolt, which would explain how they got just Canaan and a second round pick.
MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS TO THE BUCKS
There has been chatter that Jason Kidd really likes Carter-Williams but on the surface the Bucks' acquisition is curious when you consider Brandon Knight got sent away. I've heard that Knight wasn't a lock to be re-signed as a restricted free agent this summer and that's probably the motivation here. Look for MCW's stats to flatten out in the sense that he won't get the volume he saw in Philly, his efficiency will improve a bit, the turnovers will probably go down and he could look a lot like Knight with the popcorn production. In 8-cat leagues I can see him moving toward a late-round valuation and in 9-cat leagues he'll still be hands off.
ISAIAH PART DEUX
Isaiah Thomas was heading toward Philly, where he might have broken the pinball machine, when he was re-routed to the Celtics in a matter of seconds. Danny Ainge was the first to reach out to Thomas during restricted free agency last summer and they've been sniffing around him for well over a year. In that respect, it doesn't hurt that they like him a lot and they don't really have a true point guard in either Evan Turner or Marcus Smart. Thomas was returning top-65 value in just 25.7 mpg in Phoenix and he's going to have an easier path to value in Boston, so I'd put his new ceiling somewhere around a top-35 level. If Turner starts to fade or Bradley gets hurt, he's starting to creep back up toward top-25 levels he saw under a full boat of minutes in the past.
As for Smart, he has relied on his 3-point shooting for offensive value and his overall value proposition shouldn't change much here. The Celtics traded away Marcus Thornton and other than general improvement out of Smart, I don't see the needle moving much here at all. He's still a must-own guy in my book.
I WANNA TALK TO SAMPSON! (OR HOLLIS, OR JERAMI, OR WHO'S THAT OTHER GUY'S NAME?)
JaKarr Sampson could end up starting for the Sixers or maybe Jason Richardson can stay on his feet when he returns. Sampson hasn't shown much in the last two weeks playing just under 20 mpg and the best pickup here is actually Hollis Thompson -- but what a mess. Tim Frazier was resigned to another 10-day deal and despite being a stat-filler in the D-League he hasn't done anything at all at the NBA level yet.
ODDS AND ENDS
Norris Cole was traded to the Pelicans and they need the guy but with no body of work to lean on and two guys ahead of him handling the ball in Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans there's nothing to see here. Shawne Williams was also included in that deal and there's not a ton of reason to watch him unless something serious happens to either Ryan Anderson or Anthony Davis, and even then he hasn't shown anything in Miami this season when given the chance.
Miles Plumlee found his way to Milwaukee and he'll essentially step into Larry Sanders' role, which will be an irritant for John Henson, Zaza Pachulia and even Giannis Antetokounmpo (ever so slightly) if it pushes him off of minutes at PF. If you own Henson I wouldn't get crazy adjusting his value just yet, but it's possible he starts to dip down below the cut line in some standard formats.
Jarrett Jack (hamstring) and Jordan Hill (hip) are banged up but they didn't get traded and that's big news for their respective fantasy values.
