2023 NBA Trade Deadline Breakdown - Fantasy Basketball Impacts

Thunder Dan Palyo breaks down some of the smaller deals made at the NBA trade deadline and examines their ramifications for fantasy basketball for the rest of the season.

The NBA trade deadline has officially come and gone and we had one of the most active deadlines in recent memory with some big stars being dealt. Kyrie, KD, and Westbrook are all heading to new teams and we have been covering those trades and their fantasy impacts here at RotoBaller.

But there were plenty of other lesser-known players who were dealt in the last few days and I wanted to go through and make sure we don't overlook some of these trades as some of those deals may even have more fantasy impact than the big moves.

So here are some other trades that went down and my two cents on the increase or decrease in value that we should expect from the players involved for the remainder of the 2022-2023 fantasy basketball season.

Moves That Matter

These are very much in order of how much they matter. Let's start with the Spurs sending their starting center back up North where he started his career.

Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors

I am a huge Poeltl fan and was close to acquiring him on multiple teams before the deadline. It was a curious move by Toronto to be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline, but Poeltl gives them the presence at the five they have been lacking all season and allows Siakam to shift over and play PF where he belongs.

Poeltl is no longer a shutdown candidate and has legit top-50 upside with his multi-category abilities. His departure also makes Zach Collins a must-own as Collins should now start and get a bump in playing time for the Spurs and Jeremy Sochan is a guy who could end up having some additional value, too.

Mason Plumlee to the Clippers

Dale Johnson wrote about the Clippers' moves here this morning, but I just wanted to mention again how you should be adding Mark Williams in all formats.  Wiliams has been incredible on a per-minute basis and any increase in playing time is going to result in some pretty exciting results. Nick Richards is going to have some value, too, and this could end up being a timeshare in which both centers have some value going forward.

Eric Gordon to the Clippers

Another move where the player going to the Clippers isn't the one we care about for fantasy (Gordon can be cut if you rostered him) but the focus is on players who could flourish on the team he left - Houston.

The Rockets are a mess and have no reason not to play their younger guys (they're mostly all young guys left, right?) and the guy who we have all been waiting to break out is Tari Eason, who flashed major upside in the preseason and has had some incredible steal rates on a per-minute basis. I'd be adding Eason where he's available and Kenyon Martin Jr. is worth keeping an eye on, too, though he's less exciting.

Jalen McDaniels to the Sixers

McDaniels is a gifted young player and showed some promise in Charlotte. It was a bit odd they bailed on him so early when they're clearly a rebuilding franchise. He could end up earning minutes for the Sixers, but the chances of him maintaining standard league value are probably slim if he only ends up playing around 15-20 minutes a night.

The Sixers sent Matisse Thybulle to Portland as part of this deal and he's a guy who should at least be on your radar in deeper formats with his steals/blocks upside. Who knows if he ends up with a meaningful role there, but they have a need for wing players after moving Josh Hart to the Knicks.

Josh Richardson to the Pelicans

This doesn't have much to do with J-Rich himself, but with the void that he leaves behind in San Antonio. Richardson was playing solid minutes for the Spurs lately and putting up some solid numbers, filling in for guards Tre Jones and Devin Vassell. But in New Orleans, he will shift back to a bench role and enters a crowded backcourt rotation leaving him with little to no value.

The big winner here is Malaki Branham, who has been playing a lot for the Spurs lately and putting up some solid stats. With San Antonio set to tank the rest of the way, it's quite likely the youth movement will be in full swing and Branham could end up finishing the season with solid value if he ends up starting and playing regular minutes.

Moves Don't Move The Needle Much

Josh Hart to the Knicks

I am a Josh Hart owner and I am hoping for the best. I know that he will probably play a boatload of minutes for Thibs, but he's not going to see an increase in usage with ball hogs Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson in the lineup. I am just hoping he maintains his efficiency and his elite rebounding from the guard position.

Jae Crowder to the Bucks

Crowder to Milwaukee is a great move in real life, but I doubt it has much of a fantasy impact. He's going to be rusty and probably won't play much out of the gate until he gets into shape. They'll just want him up to full speed by the playoffs. He's going to steal minutes from guys like Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen, though, but both were already marginal fantasy players at best.

Jordan Nwora landed in Indiana as a result of this deal and could have some value there, but is a watchlist guy at this point or an add for only the deepest of formats.

Mo Bamba to the Lakers

Bamba is finally out of Orlando but now heads to the Lakers as the primary backup to Anthony Davis at the five. We all know he has an elite fantasy skill set, but I wouldn't hold my breath that he has much value in a 15-minute bench role. Barring an injury to Davis, I have a hard time buying into Mo Bamba being on your roster to finish the season.

Mike Muscala to the Celtics

Muscala gets out of the Thunder mess and gives the Celtics a solid bench big man with range. I like the move for Boston, but Muscala is a defensive liability who Boston can't afford to keep out there very long. A 12-15 minute role is in his future and he might be streamable if Boston is resting Al Horford and/or Robert Williams on a given night.

Darius Bazley to the Suns

Dario Saric is out, Darius Bazley is in. Baze has a decent fantasy skill set but was buried in the glutton of young players on the wing in Oklahoma City. The Suns have a big need on the wing right now until KD returns, so it's quite possible he has some short-term value if he can earn 20+ minutes.

Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets

Bryant's value had already tanked with Hachimura in town and Anthony Davis back in the lineup. Now he is backing up Nikola Jokic and it's hard to envision more than 12-15 minutes a night for him. This is another great real-life move but there's nothing to see here for fantasy.

Saddiq Bey to Hawks, James Wiseman to Detroit

Bey is heading to Atlanta and the Hawks didn't get rid of anyone at the three or the four, so I have no idea what they're going to do with his minutes as DeAndre Hunter, John Collins, and A.J. Griffin are already in the rotation.

Wiseman heads to Detroit and they're obviously a bit enamored with his upside, but it's hard to see him get playing time ahead of Jalen Duren who has already shown quite a bit of promise in his rookie year. Detroit seems to like Marvin Bagley, too.

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