RADIO
Trading at the right time for the right players can make or break an NBA franchise's year or even a decade. Good trading is very important in the fantasy NBA world as well, but luckily for us, fantasy owners, not as much is at stake when we make our trade decisions, especially in redraft leagues.
Still, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do your homework and try to take advantage of the situation if one can present itself. It's usually a good idea to scout for some valuable guys who just can't get it going lately and try to obtain them in a trade for an in-form player on your roster who is playing his heart out for you, but you just don't see him keeping it up all the way.
If you like trading and making most of the opportunities that fall into your lap, you're going to love reading about our Sell High and Buy Low candidates for Week 9 of the NBA season, right here at RotoBaller.
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Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 9
Are You for Real, Chris Paul?
First of all, let me say I think CP3 is a great basketball player. High IQ, smart decisions, great knowledge of the game, not to mention his shooting, passing, dribbling... And all this translates wonderfully to fantasy as well as his basketball smarts contribute a lot to his good FG% for a point guard and high assists with low turnovers. He has been a top-class fantasy player for years.
He has been a top-class fantasy player this year as well with averages of 16.2 PTS with 1.7 3PM on 46.6 FG% and 89.5 FT%, 4.5 REB, 6.3 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.2 BLK, and 1.8 TO in 31 minutes a night - and he has played all 26 games for the Thunder so far. This has him at the #26 spot on Yahoo.
And Paul has been even better in the last two weeks with 17.6 points and 1.6 3-pointers while shooting 48.9% from the field and 92.3% from the line, along with 5.1 boards, 8.0 dimes, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, and just 1.4 turnovers in 33 minutes per game over a seven-game period. He's in the top-10 over this period. He is actually #3 overall in the last seven days! Top-3! Insane!
So why sell Paul?
First of all, he is 34. Even though he plays smart basketball, it's tough to see him keeping this same torrid pace up for the entire season.
Second, he has had injury issues in the past, especially in the previous few years. He has missed at least 20 games in each of his last three seasons.
Third, he plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are currently sitting in the 7th seed in the West and could have a good enough team to make the playoffs this year - but what then? It's very difficult to imagine this OKC team win the title, especially when they couldn't do it with James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant on the books. This is why it's likely that the Thunder will try to trade Paul, or give some of his minutes to younger guys as the season goes on.
For these reasons, I believe CP3 is at his fantasy peak at the moment, and if his owners can get a decent return on a trade for him I would definitely be on board. A top-30 player would be enough for me to part with Paul, so I would count a deal for Pascal Siakam, Ben Simmons or De'Aaron Fox as a win.
Now Paul was picked at #36 on average this season, so if you took him early, if he fits your team very well, or you're a firm believer in him - I would understand holding him or selling only for a top-20 asset. Just be aware of the risks he brings.
Baller Move: Sell high
Time to Panic on Aaron Gordon?
It has not been a joyful ride owning Gordon this year. Averages of 13.5 PTS with 1.2 3PM on 42.3 FG% and 71.1 FT%, 6.9 REB, 2.9 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.5 BLK, and 1.5 TO in 31 minutes per game have him ranked way down, outside the top-120. He is actually worse this year compared to the last in every single category apart from turnovers. Not something you want to see from a 24-year-old guy who should be improving every year and hitting his prime.
So why to try and buy him low? Why buy him at all?
Well for the very same reason listed above. He is worse in every way compared to last season. So we already know he can do better. He has done better.
Furthermore, he has shown some flashes lately as he strung together six double-digit scoring games in a row, with three double-doubles as well. Truth be told, this was with Nikola Vucevic on the sidelines so I doubt he will get back to that pace, but still, he is capable of it.
And it's a great moment to move in on Gordon because he slumped hard in his last two games by going a combined 6-of-22 from the field (1-of-7 from three-point land) and 2-of-4 from the line, getting just nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, no blocks and three turnovers in a total of 63 minutes.
These poor performances coincided with Vooch's return so his owners might be panicking and you could get Aaron for cheap. If you have a player outside the top-100 you don't really like or that hasn't much upside but is playing well at the moment, I don't think you can lose much by offering him for Gordon in the long run. Disregarding team fit, guys like DeAndre Jordan, Harrison Barnes, and Joe Harris should all have less value than Aaron in a month's time, so if there is a chance for you to get Gordon, and you share my opinion that he is going to get it together, why not try and trade for him?
Baller Move: Hold or buy low
