RADIO
It's trade o'clock fellow NBA fantasy nuts! And as you are used to by now, we have for you a surging player you would do well to sell while he is hot, and on the other end of the spectrum, a slumping guy who's value is currently a lot lower than should be.
These fluctuations of players' values could be used by clever tradesmen to add longterm value to their team simply by using the hot and cold streaks and making deals at the right time to obtain better players than their own.
Here are our Sell High and Buy Low candidates for Week 14 of the NBA season, right here at RotoBaller.
Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 14
Are You for Real, Domantas Sabonis?
Now, although we know Sabonis junior has been playing well, it may come as a surprise to many that he is actually ranked inside the top-40 on the season! I must admit, I didn't expect him to be ranked this high, especially considering he's only getting 25 minutes per outing. But the son of Arvydas Sabonis is doing his father proud!
Now, how is Sabonis a sell high guy when he's been a top-40 whole season? Well, it's because of the extra minutes he's been getting in the last two weeks with Myles Turner sidelined with an injury. In his six games in this period (out of which Turner missed four) Domantas averaged 18.3 points on 58.3% from the field and 86.7% from the line, 10.3 boards, 3.5 dimes, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks and 1.2 turnovers in 29 minutes a night. That has him ranked as the #20 for the past 14 days. Crazy!
But we can certainly expect at least a slight drop off from him now that Myles is back. He already played just 20 minutes in the first game since Turner's return, although that was a blowout 131-97 win over the Suns who are sitting comfortably in the last place in the West.
If you are a firm believer in the Lithuanian's abilities and think he will keep up this torrid pace he's been on since the beginning of the season, I wouldn't blame you for holding onto him. But if you can get a legitimate top-40 player back who is not an injury or rest risk and who you have more trust in, Sabonis is a hot commodity to shop around at the moment. Whether a John Collins owner is tired of his lack of stocks, Devin Booker's injury woes have his owners scared, or our slumping hero DeMar DeRozan has pissed off his team manager with his recent low efficiency, you would probably gain more--or at least safer--value from any of these players for the rest of the season.
Baller Move: Sell high
Time to Panic on DeMar DeRozan?
It's been a rough couple of weeks for DeRozan. Since he got his revenge on his old team the Raptors on Jan 3, posting a triple-double in a 125-107 victory, he has scored more than 20 points just once in the following seven games. It's been even worse this last week for DeMar with averages of just 15.5 PTS with no threes, 39.1 FG% and 57.1 FT%, 5.8 REB, 7.3 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.5 BLK and an incredible 4.0 TO in the four games during this period. That is not enough for him to be ranked inside the top-250!
His poor shooting and high turnovers might be affecting his confidence, as he is shooting just 57.1% from the charity stripe. This is really odd from a career 82.7% free throw shooter. And although he isn't too careful with the ball, having a career average of 2.0 turnovers per game - he is currently losing the ball at double the pace. This is what is essentially tanking his value, and as soon as he gets his mind straight, he will bounce right back.
And you better believe he will be back to his usual self soon. Not only is DeRozan an elite level player, but coach Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches in the world. That combo cannot fail.
If his owner is feeling uneasy with his performances of late, you could try to get away with a steal. Depending on your team build, Aaron Gordon, Jarrett Allen, and Al Horford are all guys who could entice DeMar's owner. So, if you can get away with a deal like that, the pleasure you will feel after he starts hitting all those jumpers on your fantasy team will be all the greater.
Baller Move: Hold or buy low
