X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Losers from the 2022-23 NBA Free Agency - Big Men (Part 1): P.J. Tucker, Mo Bamba, Royce O'Neale

Free agency can be a great opportunity for players to find new homes that mesh with their playing styles and help them achieve their potential, but it can also be a chance for players to think they're doing that and then wind up in a bad situation where they're unable to find NBA success.

This article is about the latter, and while it's only been hours since the market officially opened, we're here to analyze some of the deals that have been confirmed in advance of the 2021-22 season tipoff later this fall.

Let's take a look at some players who recently changed teams and who should find their stock cratering in advance of the 2022-23 campaign.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Fantasy Basketball: Losers from 2022-23 Free Agency - Big Men

P.J. Tucker, PF - Philadelphia 76ers

Is the band back or what!? Shout-out Daryl Morey for bringing the gang back together, only now in Philly. The Sixers will feature all of James Harden, P.J. Tucker, Danuel House Jr., and Trevelin Queen, who of course played from the Rockets together a few years ago. Most prominently, the Harden-Tucker pairing shared the floor in the 2017-2020 span reaching its peak in the 2018 postseason when they fell 3-4 to the Warriors – yes, in that infamous 27-consecutive-three-point-shots-missed outing. Tucker has never been quite the extraordinary fantasy player, but now that he's signed with Philly I'm envisioning his ultimate death in the fantasy realm.

Tucker's best fantasy seasons came all the way back in 2014/2015 when he got to the 91st-overall by virtue of getting top-36 and top-32 finishes at the F position while still in Phoenix. After that he's never entered the top 100 players in any single campaign, topping at 103 in 2016 and finishing in 2022 as the top-163rd player overall. No bueno.

Tucker is a very niche player who can knock down three-point shots (career-high 41.5 3P% on 2.7 3PA per game last year in Miami) and grab some boards (5.5 in 2022). Tucker bounced back a bit in Florida last year starting 70 of 71 games and getting a bulky 28 MPG, but you'd be better off him unless you need what he does particularly well. Folks will look at his years in Houston next to Harden – namely, that 2020 season in which he posted a 7-6-1-1 line, 41.5/35.8/81.3 splits, and an unreasonable 21.3 PER – and drool at the possibilities. Too bad for them that Tucker is not that player anymore, much less in an Embiid-Harden-Tobi team.

Royce O'Neale, PF - Brooklyn Nets

In a move that nobody understood when the news broke – let alone when Kevin Durant's trade request was made official – the Nets moved a first-round draft pick in exchange for Utah Jazz forward Royce O'Neale. Whatever their motives were for making such trade are still unclear. Is this just a pre-KD-trade move to aid that transaction somehow? Is Royce going to be re-routed to another franchise as part of a multi-team deal involving Durant, or even Kyrie Irving? Questions, questions...

After two years of not really factoring that much into Utah's plans, O'Neale became a legit starter in the 2020 season getting almost 29 MPG with 62 of 71 games as part of the starting unit. That's been the case for the past three seasons, in which O'Neale has started 96% of the 219 games he's played with the SLC franchise. Some fantasy GMs would assume that Royce can only be labeled a winner after it took the Nets a first-rounder to land him, and now that he's getting to a team that (if things go according to expectations) is about to lose its main two usage-eaters and volume contributors in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

The thing is that, in a very similar case to that of Tucker, O'Neale is not quite a strong offensive player no matter the team or scheme he plays into, and even having Ben Simmons (again, assuming things go back to normal and Simmons graces the court once for all in Brooklyn) shouldn't really bump up his numbers that much, if at all. O'Neale has finished the last three seasons in the 109-to-134th overall range of fantasy players and never finished inside the top-35 fantasy F players in that span. He's a 20+ FPPG player but his efficiency is atrocious averaging just 0.65 FP/min last season (league average at around 0.90). If he couldn't do that starting games and sharing the court with legit players such as Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, and Rudy Gobert taking defensive eyes off of him, well, I guess he won't start doing it in a rebuilding/retooling squad in Brooklyn. He's not the worst three-point shooter (38.9% on 4.0 3PA per game last year) with some rebounding (4.8 RPG) and assisting(2.5 APG) upside, but that's pretty much it.

Jonathan Isaac, PF/C - Orlando Magic
Paolo Banchero, PF/C - Orlando Magic
Wendell Carter Jr., C - Orlando Magic
Mo Bamba, C - Orlando Magic

The Magic just can't help themselves. That doesn't have to be bad, of course, but it's funny to see how Orlando has always found itself in a position to draft big men with the no. 1 overall pick through all of its short history. First came Shaq, then Dwight, and it's now Banchero's time. Again, nothing to be mad at considering the HOF careers of the first two and the probable one on its way to Banchero's resume. That will take a little bit of mixing and matching from coach Jamahl Mosley as the Magic have a ton of big men in their depth chart.

How all of the four players above will fit in the grand scheme of things and Orlando's rotation doesn't really look that problematic. At the end of the day, Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba should be the clear-cut centers of the team with Banchero and Jonathan Isaac manning the four. Okeke profiles more as a forward Mo Wagner fits more in the C spot. So it's just a one-two-three rotation at both slots, but with everybody suffering a little bit of a knock in terms of upside as it's going to be too many mouths to feed in that frontcourt.

Of course, Carter Jr. and Banchero should be the starters of the team when the ball gets rolling next season. Bamba seemed to be out of the franchise this offseason and then the Magic decided to bring him back in a kind of unexpected move. As promising as he's always looked, we have to see Isaac play basketball for the first time since he stopped doing so in January of 2020 only to come back in July/August for a two-game run in which he got to play a total of 30 minutes before getting off for good until now. He's expected to be readily available for Game 1 next October, but you know how this stuff goes...

You don't use the first-overall pick in a bench guy, much less if you're the Orlando Magic. Banchero is going to be out there at the four or the five more often than not. The split between Bamba and Carter might be more prominent, though. The former played 30 MPG last season to Bamba's 26 average, though they started 61 and 69 games fitting next to each other playing the four and the five positions. Bamba's surprising floor-stretching (38% on 4.0 3PA per game) was fantastic and widened his range and possibilities while on the floor. Carter's rebounding was more than two boards per game above Bamba's figure though, and his scoring was more than four points above the latter's, too.

It's going to be hard for any of the four players highlighted above to hit 30+ MPG next season in such a crowded frontcourt. Of course, the likes of Bol Bol, Chuma Okeke, and Mo Wagner will only be ancillary pieces in the rotation if anything at all and you shouldn't expect them to be more than 10-to-15 FPPG players in the best possible scenario. I would say that Carter, Bamba, and Banchero are all three locks to score around 30+ FPPG with upside for 35+ if one of them gets solid minutes and a steady role in the rotation (I'd bet on rookie Banchero ending there as he comes with tasty playmaking abilities baked into his skill set and it's not that Fultz/Cole Anthony/Suggs are incredible creators). I have not lost the faith in Isaac, but he's just too much of a question mark at this point that I'd advise waiting to see what he brings to the table and the status he comes back in.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Remains an Overrated Road Racer
Brad Keselowski

Likely to Brush Past Chicago Street Course to Focus on Daytona
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek One of the Best Underdog Options After Strong Runs at Mexico City and Last Year
Cole Custer

Strong Mexico City Run and Xfinity Series Chicago Win Make Him a Solid DFS Option
Erik Jones

Likely Not Good Enough on Road Courses for DFS Consideration Despite Poor Qualifying Result
Noah Gragson

May Be Better Than Other Cheap DFS Options
Riley Herbst

Despite Decent Mexico City Run, Don't Expect Riley Herbst to Contend at Chicago
Cody Ware

Is a Road Course Veteran, but It's Rarely Helped Him in NASCAR
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Is The Heavy Favorite to Win at Chicago Street Course
Christopher Bell

Should Be Strong Despite Practice Struggles at Chicago Street Course
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade may not Happen Until "August, September"
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Houston Rockets

Jock Landale Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner, Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
James Wood

Goes Yard in Five-Hit Night
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers

Jaxson Hayes Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Max Muncy

Out at Least Six Weeks
Clarke Schmidt

Leaves Start with Forearm Tightness
Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Heading to Toronto
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF