Fantasy Basketball Buy, Sell, or Hold: Khris Middleton and Nikola Vucevic

Trading in fantasy basketball can help you improve your team in the short as well as long term. More than that, it's just plain fun. Negotiating with your mate, going back and forth with offers, and hopefully reaching a mutually beneficial agreement in the end.

It's not always easy to find the right deal that both parties could agree upon, so using the current form to your advantage could be helpful for you to get a deal done, and perhaps even get the most out of it.

Here are our current Sell High and Buy Low candidates for the NBA season, right here at RotoBaller.

Khris Middleton

Giannis, Giannis, Giannis. Whenever the Milwaukee Bucks are mentioned, that’s the first name that pops into people’s heads. However, fans forget about the team’s silent closer, Khris Middleton. Not only did he average 20.1 PTS last season, but he has been a key factor in the Bucks’ playoff success. Such as when he dropped 40 in Game 5 of their series against the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. Or when his 38 points against the Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals helped force a Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets. 

Although underrated among fans and media, Middleton is a popular player among fantasy managers. The 3x All-Star provides top-70 value while generally remaining healthy. He did miss the first seven weeks of the season due to a left wrist surgery, but fantasy managers were excited to have him back.

Middleton’s start to this season has been, well, forgettable. In the seven games he has played, he averaged 11.1 PTS on 32.5 FG%. His most recent game was especially unremarkable. In 22 minutes of play, he only scored three points on 1/12 shooting. Very uncharacteristic of the forward who has never shot worse than 44.0% for a season in his entire career. 

His poor shooting is not the only concern for fantasy managers. Middleton has missed the last four games due to “right knee soreness.” As someone who’s known to be durable and injury-free, his sudden injury reports come as a huge surprise for many managers. He just played seven games this season and is already experiencing injuries? Is it a sign that he’ll miss more time later in the season?

These concerns are understandable. Khris Middleton is 31-years-old and reaching the latter end of his career. Drafted in 2012, he may be feeling the wear and tear of playing in the league for 10 years. 

However, I wouldn’t count him out just yet. Not even eight months ago, he was playing the highest level of basketball in the playoffs. Some managers might be quick to sell him out of panic, and you should take advantage of it. Try and see if you can get him for a lower-tier player. And if you have him on your team, hold and give him some time to get adjusted. His start to the season is not representative of his scoring talent and production. 

Baller Move: Buy Low/ Hold

Nikola Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic has been among the top-10 centers in the league for a long time now. His dominant post-game and solid jump shot have made him an offensive force to be reckoned with. While his current numbers aren’t as high as they were when he was with the Orlando Magic, he is still averaging 16.8 PTS this season, putting him sixth in scoring among all centers.

In the past few games, though, Vucevic has taken his scoring to another level. After scoring above 20 points only four times in the first 23 games of the season, he has surpassed that mark five times in the past eight games, averaging 19.8 PTS over that span. In addition, his efficiency has jumped up to 60.8 FG%, nearly a 10% increase from his 51.5 FG% average for the season.

This seems like a textbook sell-high situation. A player shooting at abnormally high efficiency for the past few games? “He is simply on a hot streak,” some might think. “His production will surely go down after a couple more games.”

Well, Vucevic’s situation is not so simple. While his efficiency will drop in time, his usage may actually increase later in the season. This is because of the trade rumors surrounding Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. 

The Chicago Bulls have been quite the disaster this year. After finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference with a respectable 46-36 record, they are sitting 11th this year with a 13-18 record. One of the biggest reasons for their struggles is the lack of chemistry between Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, "Serious questions have arisen within the locker room about whether [the Bulls'] two star wings can click together at a high level on the court this season and beyond."

With the dysfunction between the Bulls’ two star guards, the organization may look to trade either one of them. There have already been many rumors about LaVine wanting to play for the Lakers, and other teams have expressed interest in trading for him. DeMar has also been included in some trade talks. If the Bulls do end up trading one of them, this would mean many more opportunities for Vucevic to score the ball. He may not put up the numbers from his Orlando days, but his usage and scoring should definitely benefit from the departure of the Bulls’ star guards. 

No trade offers have been confirmed yet, so the Bulls’ trade situation should be closely monitored, as it directly ties in with Vucevic’s fantasy production. At this moment, though, fantasy managers would benefit the most from holding onto the star center. We are nearly halfway through the season, so it is more difficult to sell high on him as managers have a good idea of their players’ production. The players you may receive by trading Vucevic will most likely not be a significant improvement from his average production over the season. 

On the other hand, there is much more to gain if you hold Vucevic. If a trade occurs and one of the Bulls’ star guards is sent away, Vucevic will most likely see a big jump in usage and points per game. If no trade occurs, Vucevic’s production will drop back down to his season averages, but no fantasy manager can complain about that. 16.8 PTS and 10.4 REB? Only one center has higher numbers in both categories: Nikola Jokic. And not only does Vucevic have great per-game averages, but he also does not miss many games. In today’s game where many players are injured or take time off for load management, Vucevic’s durability is a valuable factor that puts him above many other players. 

So it may be tempting to sell high on Vucevic while his numbers are at a season-high right now, but hold him for now until the trade deadline. If given the right situation, the star center may surprise you in the long run.

Baller Move: Hold

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