Fantasy Basketball: Arron Afflalo Could Have Lots Of Value In Portland

The Portland Trailblazers bolstered their perimeter defense by acquiring SG Arron Afflalo from the Denver Nuggets. Afflalo was one of many names that were rumored to be on the move out of Denver, but he and Javale McGee are the only ones changing addresses. More on the McGee deal later. The Afflalo trade looks like this:

The prize of this deal is Afflalo. He gives Portland a better defender at the two guard than Wesley Matthews. Afflalo isn’t quite as good of a shooter as Matthews, but Matthews will still be a big asset off of the bench.

For Denver, this move was, like the McGee deal, a salary dump. The draft pick they get is lottery protected, but that is still a solid value for Afflalo. Especially if one of the three youngsters that they received in the deal also pan out.

This likely won’t have much of an effect on Afflalo’s fantasy value. He will still be a starter, but for a better team. He may see a few less shots, but I would expect that the increase in everything else will keep his value the same as it is now: a fringe player in standard leagues. He may do a little better in Portland since they are a contender, but I wouldn’t give up anything too great to get him.

Another guy who could benefit from this deal is Wilson Chandler. Chandler could move up to SG with Afflalo gone to free up a starting job for Danilo Gallinari. If that happens, Chandler should get an uptick in minutes, and will be worth owning in all leagues. If you took the pre-emptive approach like Dave Fuqua suggested yesterday, you have to be feeling good about what Chandler can do.

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As for Gallinari, he becomes a must-add in deeper leagues. He is an injury risk, so don’t spend to get him, but if he is on waivers, he can be a nice stretch run addition for your team. He is a good shooter and decent rebounder. He is far better in category leagues because of his three point shooting, but he should do enough in points leagues to keep you satisfied for you deep league players.

The loser in this deal from a fantasy perspective is Matthews. He will be coming off of the bench now, so his points are likely going to take a bit of a hit. That said, he will be a star of the second unit, and if the Blazers need a big shot from the outside, you better believe that Matthews will be on the court. That means he will likely still see 25-28 minutes a game. The slight drop in minutes might keep him fresher, and enable him to hit a few more shots. I don’t expect his fantasy value to drop much. He will still be a big asset in category leagues. He, like Afflalo, is a fringe player in standard points leagues.

Alonzo Gee may see a little more of a run in Portland backing up the struggling Nicolas Batum. With Claver gone, Gee will be the primary backup, and may be worth a look in deep leagues. He rarely played in Denver because of the wealth of perimeter players that the Nuggets have.

Thomas Robinson is the wild card. Denver’s frontcourt is still crowded, even with the trades of Timofey Mozgov and Javale McGee. T-Rob will be nothing more than a backup because Kenneth Faried has the PF slot locked down. As for center, the Nuggets are still stacked with J.J. Hickson, Jusuf Nurkic, and even Darrel Arthur taking some minutes. Then again, the Nuggets are obviously in rebuilding mode, and Robinson still has a lot of upside. They may give him a run just to see what they have. If they do, be ready to pounce in 12 team leagues or larger.

Claver and Barton likely won’t figure into the mix much in Denver either. They aren’t worth rostering in any league right now.

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR throughout the day for the fantasy breakdown of every deadline deal!

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