Navigating The Clippers Trade Deadline Moves - Fantasy Basketball Impact

February 10, 2023

Dale Johnson examines the fantasy basketball ramifications surrounding the trade deadline deals made by the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Los Angeles Clippers are in the heat of the congested Western Conference playoff race and were one of the more active franchises during Thursday's trade deadline. The Clippers had some glaring needs, specifically at the point guard position, and needed to surround their star forwards, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, with more talent to compete in the loaded Western Conference.

The Clippers were able to execute three separate trades on Thursday. First off, the Clippers were able to secure Bones Hyland from the Denver Nuggets for a couple of second-round picks. Then, they set their eyes on veteran guard Eric Gordon in a three-team trade, sending off John Wall to the Houston Rockets and Luke Kennard to the Memphis Grizzlies. Lastly, the Clippers moved Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mason Plumlee to end their day.

There are a lot of moving parts here so let's examine how each of the teams and players in these deals may be affected going forward.

Fantasy Basketball Fallout: Clippers

The Clippers had one of the biggest shakeups on Thursday, effectively replacing three of their players with three new faces. Let's take a look at them in chronological order.

The Clippers were able to secure Hyland, a budding young guard who made a good impression on the Nuggets. Hyland, unfortunately, had been slowly fazed out of the rotation in Denver and was a common name in trade rumors. Hyland averaged 12.1 points and 3.0 assists in just 19.5 minutes per game this year and may see more opportunity in Los Angeles.

However, I am not too convinced Hyland is an add outside of deeper leagues. The Clippers have already found success with running Terance Mann as their starting point guard and I can not see Hyland overtaking Mann for the starting position just yet. Hyland is also not labeled as a pass-first guard, which would be a better fit when playing with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. For me, this situation should be looked at with a wait-and-see approach as rotations settle in.

Regarding the next deal, Gordon will make his return to the Clippers, the team he started his career with. Gordon was reportedly disgruntled with the Rockets and desperately needed a new home. The Clippers needed shooting and Gordon was a good real-life match, but, again, I am not too convinced this will be good for his fantasy outlook. Gordon was playing 30.3 minutes per game as a starter in Houston, but will now have to compete with Norman Powell for minutes. It is not a given that Gordon will jump right into the starting lineup and will likely take a hit in his overall playing time compared to his time with Houston.

Lastly, Plumlee arrives in Los Angeles and should immediately see the backup center minutes behind Ivica Zubac. Obviously, this is a big hit to Plumlee, who was enjoying career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and field-goal percentage this season. This is also a big hit to Zubac, who has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of the past five games. The Clippers did not have a reliable backup center, forcing Zubac to play a career-high 29.3 minutes per game. Plumlee's arrival likely drops both of their minutes into some sort of timeshare at the center position. Both players remain a hold for now as they can still put up value in limited minutes, but they may be trending towards drops once the rotation is solidified.

Fantasy Basketball Fallout: Rockets

The Rockets finally were able to grant Gordon's wishes and send him to a contending team, only to get back a former disgruntled Rocket in Wall. Wall recently voiced his displeasure from his time with Houston and is expected to be bought out. When Wall hits free agency, it has been reported the Phoenix Suns will be heavily interested in bringing him in. As you may already know, the Suns completed a blockbuster deal landing Kevin Durant, but are now a little thin with their depth. Wall has not played since January 13th with an abdomen injury and likely will not have much fantasy value once returning, especially if he is playing behind Chris Paul.

Regarding the rest of the Rockets squad, the biggest winners are Kenyon Martin Jr. and Tari Eason. Martin will likely keep his starting position at small forward with Gordon out of the picture and has been a top-75 player over the past two weeks, averaging 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game. Martin is rostered in just 42% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues and is likely a must-add moving forward. Eason, on the other hand, is a little trickier. Eason has immense upside and has proven that time and time again this season, however, he does not get enough opportunities. Despite Gordon leaving, Eason mostly plays the power forward position behind Jabari Smith Jr. Gordon's departure likely will not have too much effect on Eason's play time moving forward unless a rotation change occurs. Eason is still someone to watch for, but I am not convinced he is a must-add until he can secure at least 25 minutes per game.

Fantasy Basketball Fallout: Hornets

Do you hear that? That my friends is the sound of the Mark Williams hype train. Plumlee's departure left a glaring hole at center for the Hornets. Williams and fellow center Nick Richards are expected to fight for the starting center minutes for the remainder of the season. As of right now, Williams has the edge as he has received more consistent backup center minutes behind Plumlee this season. Williams also holds tremendous fantasy upside as evidenced by his per-36 minutes averages of 18.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.9 steals. Williams is the priority add following the trade deadline while Richards is more of a speculative add-in case head coach Steve Clifford decides to switch up the rotation on a whim.

Jackson, on the other hand, is not expected to stay in Charlotte too long as the two sides work to secure a buyout. Jackson has had a disappointing year in L.A., losing his starting position and effectively being forced out of the rotation. However, Jackson could be a hot name in the buyout market as contending teams look to bolster their roster. If Jackson is able to land with a contending team, temper expectations as he is likely to be given a reserve role. A few names have come up in the sweepstakes for a point guard, including the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.

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