👉 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE SPRING
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


Making Sense Of The NBA Trade Deadline

We should have known better when we thought that things were a bit too quiet last week. The NBA has taught us again and again near the trade deadline that bombs can be dropped at any given moment and usually, it's in a way we don't expect.

This was the case when it came to last year's blockbuster trade of DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans, and it happened again this year with the Clippers, seemingly out of nowhere, dealing Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons.

As we prep for a week of Wojbombs and Shamwows, let's take a minute to digest what's already gone down and the impact that those moves will have for fantasy.

Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 6 free months of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW

 

Blake Griffin Moves North

The Deal:

Pistons acquire: Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson, Willie ReedClippers acquire: Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a protected 2018 first-round pick, a future second-round pick

Winners:

SG/SF Stanley Johnson, SG Luke Kennard (Detroit Pistons): With Avery Bradley being out in the Griffin mega-deal, the 31.7 minutes a game that the departing wing was playing need to be distributed, and these two guys are the first in line to absorb the bulk of it. Stanley Johnson has been a disappointment so far in his young career due to absolutely atrocious shooting. That won't change, but with 30+ minutes a game, Johnson can almost act like a Robert Covington lite - A sizable source of steals and 3s for a punt FG% team.

Kennard is looking at minutes in the high-20s, and the impact this trade will have on him is a bit more murky. The rookie has the skills to be more than just a 3-point specialist, and whether he can become that this season is dependent on how much trust Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy has in the kid to let him handle the ball more and be more involved in creating offense for the second unit. That extra involvement can be the difference between Kennard being a streamer/deep league guy versus a standard league guy.

Reggie Bullock is also worth mentioning -- he was already starting alongside Bradley, and now slots into Bradley's spot at the 2 with Johnson at the 3. His minutes aren't really changing from what they already had been for much of December and January, but they're more secure, and he's had a hot hand (shooting 45% from 3 on the year), so he's worth owning in a lot of leagues.

C Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons): The underrated aspect of the trade working for the Pistons is the fact that Blake Griffin is a significantly better playmaker than Tobias Harris was. With Blake looking to playing a Point Forward type role, Detroit's off-ball players will get better looks than they did previously, and the giant Griffin/Drummond pick and roll will be all kinds of fun to watch. Drummond seems to be excited to team up with Blake, and there's no reason to expect his fantastic season to lose any steam after this trade.

SF/PF Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers)With DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams looking to be on the way out, Tobias Harris is in line to be the Clippers go to guy going forward and should have every opportunity to thrive as the de facto number one option. Harris should see an increase in rebounds once Jordan gets moved, as Drummond was a vacuum on the boards suppressing the numbers of his teammates.

SG Avery Bradley (Los Angeles Clippers): Avery Bradley was having a down season in Detroit, and the change of scenery should be good for the guard. He saw his rebound numbers drop significantly with the move from Boston to Detroit, as he went from a terrible rebounding team in Boston to playing along side the aforementioned vacuum in Andre Drummond. While he might not get back to the heights of last season, Bradley should be a bit more productive in LA than he was in Detroit.

Neutral:

PF/C Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons): Not much changes with Blake. He still is playing alongside a big center, and he still will have carte blanche to handle the ball in a point forward type role. He does move away from his brilliant 4-4-4 playoff schedule, but the Pistons still possess a solid 3-4-4 schedule so you only lose one game with the move. He will remain a top-30 level guy.

Losers:

PG Reggie Jackson (Detroit Pistons): Jackson's value as a point guard was already precarious due to his lack of steals and low 3s. His saving grace was fairly decent assist numbers for a later round point guard, and that stands to take a hit with Blake coming in and taking over some of the ball-handling duties. It's hard to see Reggie being a top-100 guy going forward.

PG/SG Lou Williams (Los Angeles Clippers): Bringing in Avery Bradley means adding another mouth to feed in the guard rotation, and Bradley will eat into Lou's minutes if Lou doesn't get moved. The chance of Lou getting moved also increases as the move signals a rebuild for the Clippers, and it's hard to envision a better situation for Sweet Lou than the one he had found himself in the last few months.

 

The Montenegro Alpha Meets Mardi Gras

The Deal:

Pelicans acquire: Nikola Mirotic, second-round pick; Bulls acquire: Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, Omer Asik, protected first-round pick

Winners:

SF/PF Nikola Mirotic (New Orleans Pelicans): Nikola Mirotic looks to have a more solidified role and should see his minutes settle close to the 30 minute mark for a team that desperately needs help up front with the season ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins. With Anthony Davis commanding the type of defensive attention he gets, Mirotic will be able to carve out a role next to the generational big man and his value should increase. He should settle in as a borderline top-50 guy.

PF/C Bobby Portis, SF/PF Paul Zipser (Chicago Bulls): These are the two guys who should be in line to absorb the majority of Mirotic's minutes. Neither of these guys are particularly good players, but the opportunity is there for them to provide some value. Portis looks to get minutes in the high 20s, and he can almost provide a double double in that time with a bit of defense and 3s. He can be a top-100 guy given those minutes and should be added in standard leagues.

Zipser still remains a ways away from being standard league relevant, but should see his minutes rise and coach Hoiberg likes him, so there is a chance he can reach streamer relevancy at some point this season.

C Omer Asik (New Orleans Pelicans): Just kidding! The corpse of Omer Asik is still as useless as ever.

Losers: 

SF/PF Dante Cunningham, SG/SF Darius Miller (New Orleans Pelicans): The random Pelicans front court flotsam all take a hit with this trade. They had borderline standard league relevancy before, and almost zero relevancy now.

 

#FreeGreg

Suns buyout Greg Monroe

Winner:

PF/C Greg MonroeWherever Greg goes will be better than his current situation as a walking DNP-CD. If Monroe ends up on a team with a shallow front court, like the Boston Celtics, he can be close to the top-70 guy he has been in previous seasons in a role with minutes in the high-20s. This is great news for Monroe and he is worth a speculative add as he has great upside if he ends up in the right situation.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

CFB

Alberto Mendoza Very Likely to Start for Georgia Tech
CFB

Charles Woodson Jr. Commits to Michigan
George Holani

Dynasty Outlook Remains Cloudy
Jordan Westburg

to Have Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Kendre Miller

Quickly Fading From Fantasy Relevance
Keon Coleman

Is Keon Coleman a Hopeless Dynasty Asset?
Marvin Harrison Jr.

a Buy-Low Candidate in Dynasty Formats
Hollywood Brown

a Cut Candidate in Dynasty Leagues?
Darnell Mooney

Barely Inside Top-100 WR Dynasty Rankings
Melquizael Costa

Set For UFC Vegas 117 Main Event
Arnold Allen

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 117
Christian Kirk

Can Christian Kirk Revive his Career in Bay Area?
Daniel Santos

Set For UFC Vegas 117 Co-Main Event
Brashard Smith

Destined to Become Special Teams Player?
MMA

Dohoo Choi Returns At UFC Vegas 117
Ben Sinnott

Dynasty Value Hindered by Free-Agent TE Addition
Juan Diaz

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Sam Darnold

Should Dynasty Managers Continue to Hold Sam Darnold?
Malcolm Wellmaker

Looks To Bounce Back
Justin Fields

Dynasty Managers Getting Ready to Sell High on Justin Fields?
Christian Edwards

Set For His UFC Debut
Dallas Goedert

a Target for Dynasty Managers in Championship Window?
Modestas Bukauskas

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Theo Johnson

Not the Primary Option in New System?
Kyle Monangai

Still Time to Buy Low on Kyle Monangai in Dynasty Leagues?
Tarik Skubal

Resumes Playing Catch, Ahead of Schedule?
Amon-Ra St. Brown

an Unheralded Dynasty Cornerstone
Jerry Jeudy

Becoming an Undervalued Dynasty Depth Piece
Karl-Anthony Towns

Making an Impact as Playmaker in Playoffs
Skyler Bell

Could See Multiple Paths to Dynasty Relevance
Jalen Duren

Determined to Improve
Jayden Daniels

Still Worth Paying Up for in Dynasty Leagues
Kevin Huerter

Tagged as Questionable for Game 6 Against Cavaliers
Andrei Iosivas

' Already Low Standalone Value Sinks Lower
Caris LeVert

Considered Questionable for Friday
Duncan Robinson

Iffy for Game 6
Lane Hutson

Contributes Two Assists in Game 5 Victory
Nick Suzuki

Amasses Three Points in Crucial Victory Thursday
Juraj Slafkovsky

Dishes Out Three Assists in Game 5 Win
Carter Hart

Stops 31 Pucks in Series-Clinching Win
Pavel Dorofeyev

Enjoys Second Consecutive Multi-Goal Game
Shea Theodore

Records Two Points in Game 6 Win
Mitchell Marner

Scores Special Goal in Series-Clincher
Tyjae Spears

has Limited Long-Term Upside in Dynasty Formats
Jaylen Wright

a Buy-Low Candidate as a Handcuff?
Ryan Johnson

Takes Over as Canucks GM, Sedins Promoted to Co-Presidents
Drew Helleson

Won't Play Thursday
Radko Gudas

Unlikely to Play Thursday
Jeremy Lauzon

Remains Out Thursday
Mark Stone

Misses Third Consecutive Game
EDM

Kris Knoblauch Fired as Oilers Head Coach
CFB

Virginia Tech Lands Commitment from Four-Star QB Peter Bourque
Byron Buxton

Scratched on Thursday With Hip Soreness
Cal Raleigh

Heading to Injured List With Oblique Strain
Francisco Alvarez

has Knee Surgery, Expected to Miss Eight Weeks
Paul Reed

Makes Big Impact Off the Bench Wednesday
Daniss Jenkins

Contributes 19 Points As Starter
Cade Cunningham

Tallies 39 Points in Losing Effort
Max Strus

Notches 20 Points With Six Triples
Evan Mobley

Close to Triple-Double Wednesday
Jarrett Allen

Records Double-Double in Game 5 Win
James Harden

Leads the Way for Cavaliers in Game 5 Victory
Quinn Hughes

Finishes Postseason With 15 Points
Matt Boldy

Posts Two Assists in Season-Ending Loss
Scott Wedgewood

Perfect in Relief Effort
Martin Necas

Records Another Multi-Point Game
Brett Kulak

Sends Avalanche Into Conference Finals
Brayden McNabb

Suspended for One Game
Cal Raleigh

Exits With Apparent Side Injury on Wednesday Night
Juan Soto

X-Rays Come Back Negative on Juan Soto's Ankle
Jacob Misiorowski

Pulled Early With Possible Leg Injury
Juan Soto

Exits Wednesday's Game Early with Ankle Injury
Kevin Huerter

is Cleared to Return for Game 5
Caris LeVert

is Available for Game 5 on Wednesday
Duncan Robinson

is Out for Game 5
Keegan Murray

Undergoes Ankle Procedure
Josh Giddey

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Pete Fairbanks

Returns From Injured List
Christian Yelich

Out With Back Tightness on Wednesday Night
Nathan MacKinnon

Chasing History Wednesday
Ryan Poehling

Won't Be an Option for Game 6
Robby Snelling

Placed on 15-Day Injured List with Elbow Sprain
Francisco Alvarez

Mets Place Francisco Alvarez on Injured List With Torn Meniscus
Max Fried

Dealing With Left Elbow Posterior Soreness
CFB

NFL Veteran Tom Moore Joins Iowa Coaching Staff
CFB

Can Cam Cook Dominate in Return to Big 12?
CFB

ACC, Big 12 Support 24-Team College Football Playoff
CFB

Anthony Colandrea Looking to Elevate Nebraska Back to National Contention
CFB

Kwazi Gilmer Set for Big Impact at Nebraska
Justin Thomas

Trending Well Ahead of PGA Championship Despite Concerning Form
J.J. Spaun

Trending Up Ahead of PGA Championship
Adam Scott

Riding Strong Form Into PGA Championship
Patrick Reed

Looking to Make Another Run at PGA Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Looks to Build on Strong Finish at Truist Championship
Sam Burns

Must Keep Ball in Play at PGA Championship
Jordan Spieth

Looks to Complete Career Grand Slam at Aronimink
Brandt Snedeker

Not the Best Option for the PGA Championship
Rasmus Hojgaard

a Volatile Option at PGA Championship
Ayo Dosunmu

Has Busy Night in Game 5
Maverick McNealy

Seeking Better Start in Philadelphia
Harry Hall

a Boom-or-Bust Option at Aronimink
Jaden McDaniels

Notches 17 Points in Game 5 Loss
Hideki Matsuyama

Attempts to Improve Over 2025 PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler

Looks to Defend PGA Championship at Aronimink
Julius Randle

Posts a Double-Double in Losing Effort
Nicolai Hojgaard

Wants to Keep Momentum Rolling in Philadelphia
Anthony Edwards

Held to 20 Points in Game 5 Loss
Ben Griffin

Attempting to Bounce Back After Truist Championship
CFB

Transfer Defensive Lineman Devarrick Woods Commits to Clemson
Harris English

Will Need His Putter to Thrive at Aronimink
Akshay Bhatia

Creative Flair Could Show Itself in Philadelphia
Keegan Bradley

Knows the Aronimink Golf Club Well
Si Woo Kim

Struggles at Truist Championship
Gary Woodland

Can Continue Incredible 2026 Season at PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele

In Excellent Form Heading to PGA Championship
Brandon Nimmo

Leaves Game on Tuesday with Apparent Ankle Injury
Jacob Wilson

A's Place Jacob Wilson on Injured List With Shoulder Subluxation
Christian Yelich

Brewers Reinstate Christian Yelich From Injured List
CFB

Isaac Brown Has All-American Upside in 2026
CFB

Nyck Harbor Heading into Breakout Year?
CFB

Notre Dame, USC in Discussions to Resume Rivalry Series
CFB

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Has Eyes on ACC Title
CFB

Ahmad Hardy's Gunshot Wound Not Viewed as Career-Threatening
A.J. Ewing

Mets to Call Up Top Prospect A.J. Ewing
Mookie Betts

is Officially Back on Monday
Nathan Eovaldi

Scratched From Monday's Start With Side Tightness
Henry Bolte

Athletics to Promote Top Outfield Prospect Henry Bolte to Major Leagues
Khamzat Chimaev

Suffers his First Loss
Sean Strickland

Recaptures Middleweight Title
Tatsuro Taira

Suffers Fifth-Round TKO Loss
Joshua Van

Defends Flyweight Title
MMA

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Drops Decision
Alexander Volkov

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Shane Van Gisbergen

Dominates Watkins Glen for First Win of 2026
Michael McDowell

Finishes Second for Best Run of the Year At Watkins Glen
Ty Gibbs

Scores New Career-Best Finish of Third at Watkins Glen
Tyler Reddick

Continues His Strong Season With Fifth-Place Run at Watkins Glen
Austin Dillon

Earns his First Top-10 Finish of 2026 at Watkins Glen
CFB

Ahmad Hardy Sustains Gunshot Wound, in Stable Condition
Connor Zilisch

Will Start Fifth in his First Watkins Glen Cup Series Race
Tyler Reddick

Is A Top DFS Option for Watkins Glen Lineups
Christopher Bell

Is Likely to Bounce Back This Week at Watkins Glen
William Byron

Is William Byron Playable in DFS Lineups at Watkins Glen?
Kyle Larson

May have A Positive Day at Watkins Glen
Chase Briscoe

May Compete for A Top-10 Finish at Watkins Glen
NASCAR

A.J. Allmendinger May have Another Solid Outing at Watkins Glen
Ty Gibbs

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Ty Gibbs at Watkins Glen?
Ross Chastain

Is Ross Chastain Worth Rostering for Watkins Glen Lineups?
Austin Cindric

Could Austin Cindric be A Sneaky Tournament Play for Watkins Glen?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen the Heavy Favorite at Watkins Glen
Chase Elliott

Is Chase Elliott a No-Brainer DFS Pick at Watkins Glen?
Chris Buescher

Qualifies 14th at Watkins Glen
Ryan Blaney

Has Upside at Watkins Glen After Signing Contract Extension
Michael McDowell

Still Searching for First Top-Five Finish at Watkins Glen
Carson Hocevar

Is Carson Hocevar Too Aggressive for Road-Course Racing?
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF