Fantasy Basketball: Should You Sell High On Dwyane Wade?

Nov 13, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) dribbles past Toronto Raptors |guard Greivis Vasquez (21) during the second quarter at Air Canada Centre. Chicago won 100 – 93. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

How many times do you open your email and find a trade that makes your head spin? You wonder what was that person thinking and why would he buy Greivis Vasquez at that price? After al,l his value will be squat when DeMar Derozan comes back? Well in Trading for Titles we will discuss just that.

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How can you be the guy who is pulling off trades selling Greivis Vasquez high and buying in on players who are destined and primed for a sure breakout. Players like Kenneth Faried last year and guys who are earning more time because of improved play or guys who are going to get more minutes because of big trades in the works. We will look at three players to target and/or buy low and three players to sell high.

When we sell high, it doesn’t mean that you can expect to get LeBron James or Kevin Durant for the said players it simply means that this person I believe is performing at or near his ceiling, and his value will never be at a better time to sell. It also means this player could be due for a trade or injury that would severely hamper his value.

All in all, trading comes down to perceived value and what the people in your league consider a player to be worth. So let’s kick this off and find our targets for the week of December 7, 2014

Players to go get!

Trey Burke, Utah Jazz: Currently this Michigan product is a very streaky player who comes out some games and plays at an all star level that his talent is comparable with, and some nights he comes out and plays at a level that should send him packing to the D-League. This can be very frustrating for typical fantasy owners, and in some standard sized leagues, you may even find a guy like this on the waiver wire. Currently, ESPN has his ownership at 48.8% which means he could be in a Waiver Wire column. Well, don’t look now, but in three of his last five games, Burke has put together games with at least 15 points and 8 assists and is averaging over 12 points and 6 assists in that span. Those are solid numbers to have sitting on the end of your fantasy bench.

Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers: With a mildly slow start to the season, and a recent stint of 4 missed games, Batum finds himself not living up the expectations he set for himself in a solid 2013-14 campaign that saw him stuff the stat sheet like we had all expected. With 13 points, 5.1 assists, 7.4 rebounds and adding .9 steals and .7 blocks a game made him a top notch fantasy player to own last season. Owners of Batum this season however, may find themselves a little frustrated with his recent lack of production and short injury stint. I would suggest floating a couple of offers to his owner and see if you can get him before he slams any buy low window completely shut.

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls: This one is for the riverboat gamblers with tough stomachs. I know some of you may call me crazy here, but this one should be obvious. Right now, his production is low and so are his minutes. But in any H2H league, if Rose can get past this stretch of playing himself into shape, I believe he will be a huge asset down the stretch for your fantasy team. Taking risks is what wins fantasy H2H leagues, and if you can buy a player of Rose’s caliber at a deeply discounted rate, then why not go for it?

Players to Sell!

Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks: Millsap is putting up some solid numbers right now as his backcourt mate Al Horford is playing himself back into shape after yet another torn pectoral muscle. Right now, Millsap is dominating the stats and usage in that frontcourt, but I for one expect that to change and for Horford to round himself into form this year. Consider this also as a bonus buy-low player, as Horford is probably frustrating many fantasy owners who drafted him with the expectations of last season pre-injury dancing around in their heads. I will say that I don’t expect Millsap to fall off miserably, but I also don’t expect him to improve much as long as Horford continues to improve.

Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets: This is a player who you might not expect to find in a sell high column, but as history has shown us, Deron could be due for those shaky ankles to let loose any time. Williams has demonstrated over the last couple of years that he has a hard time staying on the court, and that can be a real killer in H2H leagues. For me, if you own him and he is healthy, it is a great time to deal him for a younger, healthier version. Someone who can stay on the court who might not carry the name value that D-Will does.

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: Another in the same vein as Deron Williams. Look to deal Wade as soon as he strings together enough games to make your fellow owners forget that he has already missed seven games this season. Wade will always be a huge producer when he is on the court, but the games he misses will be a dagger that not many fantasy squads can overcome and produce titles. Look to rid yourself of him and add a player like Jimmy Butler.